


Addiction (DireWolves MC #2) (18+ Only)

by queenhoneebee



Series: Wattpad Original Stories [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bikers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Forbidden Love, Idiots in Love, M/M, Motorcycles, Multi, NSFW, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:41:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 49
Words: 137,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenhoneebee/pseuds/queenhoneebee
Summary: Was deleted off Wattpad. I'm looking into self-publishing.Everly never wanted to return to Okeechobee. But when an exciting new case lands in her lap, it seems she's being dragged back to her hometown. But there are ghosts of her past lurking around every corner.Jax has never forgotten his first love. And now that she's back, he intends to take every opportunity possible to remind her of just how good they had it before.
Series: Wattpad Original Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104437
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

#  **PROLOGUE**

**Everly**

I rubbed at my eyes as my car made it into the lot. Mikey grimaced beside me before he got out of the driver’s seat. His chief had woken us up at three in the morning to call us in to a stabbing victim, so this shit had better have been good.

I actually worked for the precinct in Lorida, but Mikey’s boss had thought my expertise in the area might be helpful in this case. Which was great, because it meant that a horde of bikers was no doubt involved.

_Perfect._

Note the underlying not-so-subtle sarcasm in my tone.

I hated that this had become my specialty. I hated that most of the cases I’d had to deal with were counts of possession and drug dealing. I got enough shit from the Diablos in Lorida and was just happy that I didn’t often have to associate myself with the DireWolves in Okeechobee.

And yet, here I fucking was.

Outside their very own bar, in their very own town, purely because on the same night I’d chosen to spend a night in my boyfriend’s apartment, some idiot kid had gone and gotten himself slashed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

In my six years as a police officer, I’d been told countless times by my boss to ‘never blame the victim’, but that mentality often became difficult when these stupid shits wouldn’t be in these positions if they’d never become involved with these clubs in the first place.

If I had enough evidence, I’d end the motorcycle clubs forever, but I didn’t. They always managed to worm their way out of taking the blame for shit like this.

I got out of my car and walked up towards the entrance of the bar. The entire place was lit up like a Christmas tree because everything was illuminated by the tell-tale flashing red and blue of the patrol cars.

I stepped around groups of beat cops in uniform sipping coffee to stay awake on their night shift and made my way inside the bar. I was glad I was a detective, and so hadn’t had to shrug on a uniform like Mikey had. I was content to just brush my hair and put on my clothes from yesterday.

My heels clacked against the stained wooden floor as I walked through the room and up to Mikey, where he stood next to his boss. Chief Wells gave me a nod as I approached. While we hadn’t had much contact, he and I knew each other well enough.

I’d had to work with his deputies and detectives on many other cases, but for this particular one, I was just here to lend a helpful hand. My eyes scanned the room, falling on the boy laid out on the counter.

“Mind if I do a lap?” I asked, picking up a pair of sterilized gloves from a box that a beat cop was passing around. I snapped them onto my hands as I looked up at Mikey’s boss. Wells nodded at me, going back to talking to his deputies.

There were two other detectives in the room, both men, both entitled and sexist. In my brief interactions with them in the past, they had told me that this wasn’t a woman’s job.

They had both tried to persuade me to take a desk job.

Their idiocy and blatant disrespect for my skill only made me work ten times harder just to shove my victories in their faces. Currently they were both wearing self-assured smirks and were standing with their arms crossed.

They both had their legs man spread apart to assert dominance. I ignored them. Despite towering over my lithe height, they didn’t intimidate me.

They sucked at their jobs.

“Eighteen-year-old male,” one stated. “Stabbed sixteen times between the hours of midnight and one o’clock before being laid out on the counter. Murder weapon was left on the floor but there are no conclusive skin cells or prints on anything.”

I turned to the self-righteous detective.

“Thank you for the rundown, Detective Reynolds, but as you can see, I actually have eyes, and I am willing to use them to do my job,” I smirked at him. Reynolds glared at me.

“Don’t expect to find anything else. We haven’t missed a thing,” the second man said. I grinned and clucked my tongue. I had been hoping he’d say that.

“Ahh, but that is where you’re wrong, Paulson. The vic was stabbed twenty times, not sixteen. I’m sure I could point out where exactly you counted wrong, but I’ll just let you inspect the body later,” I said with a smile, then I pointed to the front door. “There is a speck of blood that I’m sure you missed on your way in, that will belong to either the vic or the perp, but either way, it gives us another clue.”

A forensic specialist officer with a camera was standing nearby us and overheard my deduction. I watched as his eyes widened before turning around and snapping a flash photo of the blood I’d just found.

I turned back to my two other idiot detectives and smiled at the furious expressions on their faces. I never failed to upstage them, and it always hurt their egos. I didn’t care. They needed to be constantly reminded that the fact that their genitals were on the outside of their body, didn’t automatically make them the best detective for the case.

Plus, it didn’t hurt to make them feel inferior. They needed a proverbial kick to the crotch every now and then.

I sent a triumphant smile their way.

“Let me know when you’re ready to play with the big leagues, boys,” I grinned, before turning and walking back to Wells. I could conduct a better search of the place later when there were less people crawling the place.

I gave a quick glance to the words written on the mirror, making a mental note before opening my mouth to speak with the Chief.

“What do you think?” he asked. “The bar is owned by Lucas and Coraline Knight. He’s the President of the DireWolves MC and she’s his younger sister. Think it’s got anything to do with a club rivalry?”

I frowned. From my initial assessment, it was unlike anything biker related that I’d come across before.

“Hard to be sure,” I said. “Despite the murder weapon behind the counter, there was next to no evidence left behind. Whoever did this was completely professional.”

As I finished speaking, my eyes caught on a tall man who had just entered the bar. He had unruly dark hair and tanned complexion. He was broad and muscular, and gigantic, well over six feet. His arms were covered with ink, as was practically customary for anyone who rode a Harley.

He was sexy, but there was something about the way he stood, closed off from everyone, that made me think he was taken. He seemed uninterested in everything around him, and he barely even glanced at the female officers who sashayed past him.

I was impressed. I’d never known a biker who didn’t blatantly stare at girls asses.

But that wasn’t what intrigued me most. No, the guy was familiar, but I just couldn’t think where I’d seen him before.

But what struck me most was the cut. From here, I could read that he was the Sergeant-At-Arms but I didn’t recognize him. He had a scowl on his face as he leant against a bar table. He was watching our group with heated interest, no doubt eavesdropping.

I wanted to scowl at him.

“Diablos?” Mikey asked, turning to frown at me. I shook my head.

“Not a chance. I’ve dealt with hundreds of their disputes before in Lorida and I’ve never come across anything like this. In my experience, MC deaths occur out of vengeance or fight for status,” I said. I was watching the biker carefully, waiting for any kind of reaction.

My attempts were futile, though. The man was practically made of steel and his features were emotionless as they looked around the bar. He was giving me nothing.

Something told me that he’d been specifically trained in keeping secrets. And he was good at it.

“Like I said,” I continued, “The killer left the murder weapon on the floor behind the counter, but whoever it was didn’t cut any corners. We couldn’t find any prints on the knife, and there’s too much hair and skin cells from every person who frequents this bar that our suspect list is looking like the entirety of Okeechobee County.”

Wells sighed.

“So, we’ve got nothing?”

I gave him a half-hearted shrug.

“What about security cameras? There must be footage from earlier in the night that could lead us to something?” Mikey asked. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

“They don’t have any. Do you really think a bar owned by the President of the DireWolves is going to bother installing security cameras inside a bar that no doubt witnesses more illegal activities than the inside of the Russian mob?” I sent an incredulous look to Mikey.

Was he asking stupid questions to piss me off? Honestly, sometimes I wondered whether my boyfriend liked to exercise that muscle that some of us call a brain.

“Besides, they’d have members crawling this place twenty-four-seven, three-six-five. Who needs security cameras when you’ve got loyal _mutts_ who’d tell you the nanosecond anything went down,” I said. I couldn’t help the slight bite in my tone.

A face flashed in my mind and I glared, annoyed at myself that I’d let him come to my mind. He was an asshole who didn’t deserve a single moment of my time or thought.

Wells shook his head beside me. He was frowning and I could tell it was way too early for any of us to be thinking clearly without snapping at each other.

“Whatever you need to do to find a suspect, do it. I don’t care if it means running every single DNA sample from this bar through the system,” he said, his voice rough. Then he turned his head, seeming to notice the man I’d laid eyes on ten minutes ago.

I rolled my eyes inwardly at this entire precinct’s lack of notice at their surroundings. Wells turned back to me. “Find an outlier and exploit it. I have other matters to attend to right now.”

My mouth fell open. Was he seriously going to just leave this important conversation to talk to an outlaw biker?

“But sir–” I protested. Wells cut me off with a swift raise of his hand and I glared at him. My annoyance bloomed red on my cheeks as I eyed the tall tattooed man. I watched Wells walk away and then felt a hand on my forearm.

I glared up at my boyfriend as he tried to comfort me. “Don’t worry about the Chief, babe. He just needs some time to wrap his head around everything. He knew the victim,” Mikey said.

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder before stalking out of the bar. I shouldn’t have even been here. I couldn’t blow up at Wells because he was technically my superior despite me being from a different precinct.

But that didn’t change the fact that he had called me in here on a favor, and now he was blowing me off. I scowled as I trudged out the front door and down to where a group of deputies was huddled around a patrol car drinking coffee.

I took a cup from one of them, not hearing whatever they’d said it was. I didn’t care what kind of coffee I was drinking, actually I wouldn’t have cared less what kind of drink it was.

It could have been gin for all I cared.

No, I just needed a distraction. It wasn’t another five minutes before I watched Wells leave the bar. I stared at the door, waiting for his biker friend. I eyed Wells carefully while I waited.

What if he was on their payroll? What if they gave him cash to look the other way on things like this? That shit was illegal.

I frowned, sipping at my drink. I almost spat it out. It was cold – an iced coffee. And a weak one at that. I rolled my eyes and put the cup down. Drinking coffee flavored water wasn’t going to improve my mood.

The only thing that would do that would be getting back into bed and wrapping myself in blankets to fall asleep. I scowled, it was too fucking early to be awake.

Finally, after watching the front entrance for an eternity, the biker man emerged. I watched him walk to his bike and slide on his helmet.

Our eyes connected as he kicked up his stand and revved at his handle, then I watched as his red taillight became a dot in the distance as he sped out of the lot. My eyes narrowed at the cut on his back.

That damn insignia gave me nightmares, as did the memory of the man who I’d known to wear it. I shook my head with a sigh, he wasn’t worth taking up my mind. I felt an arm come around my shoulders and I looked up to see my boyfriend smiling down at me with kind eyes.

“Chief doesn’t need us ‘til tomorrow morning because we’ve got no leads. We’re free to go back to bed,” he grinned. I sighed in relief before standing up and letting him walk us back to my car.

I was back in bed with my boyfriend spooning me from behind before I could even give a second thought to what had happened tonight.

Thank god that that piss weak coffee wasn’t going to keep me up all night either.

**I hope we’re all excited about this new book because I know I am. Everly is already so fun to write. Who remembers her from this scene in Temptation? And who do we think the MC member from her past is?**


	2. 1

#  **CHAPTER ONE**

**One Year Later**

**Everly**

I felt like a peacock who had just preened all of their feathers to impress a mate. Yes, I am fully aware that the pretty peacocks are actually males and the brown peahens are female, but that is beside the point.

As I walked into the Lorida Police Department at 2.30 that afternoon, I was feeling pretty top shit. I was wearing my victory with immense pride and I wanted to flick Paulson and Reynolds the bird as I walked through the bullpen and into the Chief’s office.

I had just managed to crack a missing person’s case. A mother had abducted a child that she’d put up for adoption ten years ago. She felt it was her time to take her child back, but obviously authorities and the adoptive parents were against it, so she decided to kidnap the child and take it back to her reclusive cabin.

It just so happened that the woman was a junkie, which was the reason she’d put her kid up for adoption in the first place, and we caught her when she left her house to buy more drugs.

I had just returned the kid to his adoptive parents and now I was here at the precinct, to hand my case study in to my boss. My arrest had felt pretty damn good. I was the first in the precinct to solve a missing person case so quickly, I had broken my own record and the time stamp now sat at twenty-seven hours, thirty-six minutes.

I slapped myself down into the chair across from my boss. He gave me a tight smile.

Chief Davis Miller was a hard man to please, but it just so happened that I was one of his favorite detectives – if not his actual favorite – and so a smile from him was rare. I could count the number of times he had smiled at me on one hand and I’d been working for him for almost seven years.

He was a hard man to please, but that only made me work that much harder.

“Congratulations on the arrest, Shimura,” he said. I nodded in thanks.

“It was a piece of cake. We found her dealer within an hour and it just became a waiting game. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. What else have you got for me, Chief?” I asked.

Miller sighed. He paused, obviously contemplating whatever it was he wanted to tell me. I rolled my eyes.

“Spit it out, Chief. I can handle whatever it is.” Miller gave me a warning glance at my tone. People didn’t often speak to him like that, and I wasn’t usually so blunt and forward, but whatever was on his mind was obviously important.

“I want to recommend some vacation time for you, Shimura,” he finally admitted.

I couldn’t help it. A laugh bubbled through my lips.

“You’re joking, right?”

Miller leveled me with a glare and I sat back in my chair. He was serious?

“Why?” I complained. I couldn’t think of a single reason why I might need to use my vacation days. I only used them when I was sick, and I hadn’t gotten sick in over three years.

“I want to make sure that all of my detectives are staying sharp. The bosses upstairs have ordered that all employees are taking care of their mental health. Some crap to do with their new system about workplace safety or something,” Miller garbled. He looked frustrated, and his generation’s mindset was obviously that mental health wasn’t an issue.

I rolled my eyes inwardly.

“Chief, honestly I’m fine,” I said, “Working is actually how I keep my mental health stable. If you really want me to take a couple days off then I will, but I’m telling you, I’ll go crazy in my house if I’m not on a case.”

Miller gave a small chuckle.

“I like your hustle, Detective.” He sighed and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. It was cropped short and neat, easily tamable. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, picking up a small case file from his desk, it was barely more than a couple of pages. “I have a small drug case going on. I’ll let you work on it for a few days, easy work so I can appease my boss.”

My eyes widened and I grinned. “I’ll take it,” I said. But then Miller frowned. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What?” I asked.

He sighed. “It’s based out of Okeechobee.”

He handed me the file and I frowned. Okeechobee? There was a reason that I didn’t live there anymore. Miller knew about my hang-ups with that town, and knew why I didn’t like going back there, really.

When I’d started working for him, I’d once accidentally spilled my life story, so he was aware of why I might now say no to this case. My boyfriend lived in Okeechobee, but he mostly traveled to me for us to be together, we rarely stayed at his residence.

If I wasn’t seeing him, I’d never set foot back in that damn town. There were too many familiar faces.

Miller could see the hesitation on my face as I flipped through the tiny case file. It was a couple of kids who’d been picked up for possession and they wanted to identify their dealer.

“Either take the case, or take a few days off, Shimura,” he leveled with me. I sighed and glared at the file in my hands.

“Fine, I’ll take it,” I said. Then I glared playfully at my boss. “But I will not enjoy it.”

Miller chuckled. “Didn’t expect you to, now get over there, I’ll call ahead to Chief Wells and set up a consultation with him and his current detectives.”

I nodded and got up from my seat, shaking Miller’s hand. Then I was walking out of his office, past my sexist douchebag coworkers, and into my hybrid. It took a rough forty minutes to get to the Okeechobee precinct, and when I stepped out of my car, I drew my sunglasses slowly off my eyes.

The building looked as basic and decrepit as it had when I was younger. I couldn’t believe I’d ever idolized the place. It was disgusting. I sighed as I slammed my door shut and stalked towards the front entrance.

I ignored the secretary slash receptionist at the front desk, flashing my police badge before walking through to the bullpen. Two minutes later, I was seated in the briefing room with two young detectives and Chief Wells.

The two detectives looked barely out of the academy, and part of me wondered whether they had even been beat cops or meter maids to start with. They looked so primp and baby faced that it seemed they’d never been through the scut work that made mere officers into world weary detectives worthy of taking on the grittiest of cases.

After speaking with them for an hour and accumulating every file on every drug incidence in the town, I was ready to leave. I was ready to walk through the precinct and find my boyfriend to tell him that I’d be spending the night.

I was carting around a gigantic box of files, and for someone with such birdlike bone structure, I was definitely struggling. It was one of those boxes that people use in movies to pack up their desk when they’ve been fired. Only, in my case, I was more worried that the bottom of the box was somehow going to open up and I’d be left to clean up every single paper file that spilled out.

I couldn’t find Mikey anywhere, so I set my box down on a random desk without anyone sitting at it, and pulled out my phone. I sent him a text, hopefully he was just in the breakroom or something. Then I picked up my box, ready to trudge out to my car and drive to Mikey’s house.

I had a key to his apartment, so I had no qualms about letting myself in to binge on his ice cream and episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

I made it out of the precinct and to my car. I pulled open the passenger door and dumped my box onto the seat, right as I heard the guttural moan of a Harley sliding into the parking lot. My entire body froze before I straightened up.

I was afraid to look over my shoulder, but when I did, I was filled with instant regret. Sitting in the seat and sending me the full force of his grin, was the last person that I ever wanted to see in this town.

If my reasons for never wanting to step foot in Okeechobee were laid out like a pyramid, this guy would be the apex. He was the biggest reason that I hated coming here. Seeing him was the biggest risk I took when I started dating Mikey.

The chances of running into this man were so high, and the universe just fucking hated me, so of course he was here right now.

“Long time, no see, Dollface. Didn’t think your big head could fit into our small town,” he chided. I glared at him as I watched him pull a cigarette from his jacket and light it after sliding off his helmet.

He ran a hand through his shaggy, unwashed blond hair and smirked at me.

I hated that smirk. It represented everything wrong with this damn town.

“Please grow up, Mr Jackson. I’m here for work,” I said acidly. He rose an eyebrow at my words and my formality. My eyes were trained on his hands as he adjusted the cut on his shoulders.

It was the same one from highschool, same insignia, same patches. There were a few new ones, and my eyes didn’t miss the ‘Vice President’ patch on his right breast.

 _Typical_. I thought. Of course, Lucas had made him VP. That’s what happened when your best friend was MC President, you made sure all your best buds had a title within your gang.

I rolled my eyes as he took a drag from his smoke. He exhaled out his nose, something I’d always found disgusting. He had always thought it was funny, said it made him look like a dragon.

It didn’t. he just looked like a cocky douchebag, but he’d probably take that as a compliment.

“Mr Jackson is my father.” Another drag. “Surely the fact that I’ve seen you naked means we’re on a first name basis by now, Doll.” He chuckled and smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes. He was always so crass. He was leaning against his bike now, ankles crossed with an air of relaxation about him, like he had nothing better to do than hang outside a police precinct at three in the afternoon.

“I don’t need to be reminded of the stupid things I did in my youth, Jacob.”

I watched him scowl slightly at the word I knew was his trigger. He took another drag, slowly as he glared at me.

“Still pulling that thread, huh?” He glared. “Guess nothing has changed.”

“What are you talking about?” I said, scowling at him and crossing my arms over my chest. He didn’t reply, just dropped his smoke to the ground, before crushing it with his combat boot.

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “I’ll see you around, Doll. I’m just here to pick up a friend.” He moved from his place and began walking towards the front doors.

“Still rolling with outlaws and drug abusers?” I couldn’t help but ask. The bike and the cut made the answer obvious enough, but for some reason I wanted to hear him say it.

He turned around slightly with a smirk on his lips and a raise to his eyebrow. He shoved his hands in his pockets and raised his shoulders in a half shrug.

“Can’t answer that, babe,” he said. “Because then it would mean that you’ve actually made an effort to get to know me, and I reserve that information strictly for girls with deep pussies who moan like bitches in heat when they come.”

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. “Pig,” I mumbled. I thought he was just out of earshot not to hear me.

“You love it,” he chuckled. Apparently not far enough.

I watched as he turned on his heel and stalked inside without so much as a backward glance. I scowled at the insignia on his back, glaring at the wolf’s head and everything it represented.

I was about to turn and get into my car before I watched him open the door. Mikey stood on the other side of the door with a surprised expression on his face before he let the biker past. Then Mikey looked out over the lot and saw me standing there.

He gave me a smile before jogging down to meet me. He wrapped an arm around my waist before pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.

“I got your text,” he said. “Gonna be in town for a while then?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but right now I just want to go home and relax,” I said. “When do you get off work.”

Mikey grinned. “I’m done now actually, I was coming out to catch a ride with you before you left.”

I smiled. “What about your car?”

He shrugged. “I can just catch a ride in with you tomorrow, no biggie.” I smiled, nodding before pulling away and walking to the driver’s side door. I sat myself down and revved the engine as Mikey got settled beside me.

“Do you have ice cream at home or do I need to stop at the grocery store?” I asked. Mikey grinned.

“I’ve got two take home tubs from Tyler’s with your name all over them. Vanilla Bean and Triple Chocolate with Cookie Dough and Brownie Chunks.”

My mouth watered at the thought. Tyler was one of my best friends from college. He owned and operated a dessert diner in town that specialized in ice cream and sweets.

Mikey chuckled at the self-satisfied grin on my face. I swear, Tyler’s homemade ice cream was better than some of the sex I’d had in my time.

“Right, well then what are we waiting for?” I asked, and pulled out of the lot, fully prepared to speed back to Mikey’s apartment just so that I could get my hands on my sweet treat.

.

**Just depends on what kind of sweet treat she’s talking about ;)**


	3. 2

#  **CHAPTER TWO**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

My lips parted as I threw my head back. He had a hand in my hair even though it was short in a pixie crop. His fingers tangled in the inky black mess that had surely been made there and gripped at my roots, keeping my head tilted upwards.

I didn’t mind the bite of pain I felt, in fact, I kind of welcomed it.

A sharp exhale of breath left my lips as my back arched and my hips moved backwards wanting to thrust in a frenzy. He was driving me wild with need, like he always did. My stomach was clenched in anticipation and I could feel goose bumps raising on my lower back from the whisper of his breath.

Mikey grunted behind me as he placed one hand on my hip to steady me. I felt the head of his cock kiss my opening. A whimper slipped through my lips as he squeezed my hip and pressed just the head into my center.

My inner walls clenched around him, wanting more of what I knew was sure to come. His head pulsed and my stomach clenched again. All I wanted was to push back on him and have him reach inside me, but his grip on my hip kept me in place.

He pulled his head out slowly and I moaned breathlessly as I felt the slight resistance. Then the bulb of his cock popped out of my kitty, releasing a small gush of wetness from me. I could feel it on the top of my thighs.

I could smell my arousal in the air as he teased me, and my hardened nipples brushed against the soft cotton of his sheets. It only made them harder and made me want to beg for Mikey to just thrust into me.

After an eternity, he pressed his head back to my hole.

I let out a moan as he sunk himself inside me, and I was seated at the base of his cock. He was warm to the touch and I could practically feel him pulsing inside me. I could feel every vein and every crevice flush against me. I was practically hyperventilating at the feeling of being so full.

He wasn’t the biggest I’d ever had, but he was definitely the widest. He stretched me in ways no other guy had before.

My walls clenched around him, making him let out a small groan, lift his hand from my hip and crack swiftly across my ass. My body bowed forward at the sensation, and it made me involuntarily clench him again.

“Watch it,” he growled, which only made a new pool of wetness gather at my opening. I was gushing with arousal for him. He massaged my skin where he’d spanked me, making me tingle and lean into him.

A moan slipped through my lips as my eyes fell closed. Maybe today would be the day, maybe this time I’d actually get to climax.

Mikey groaned and twisted his fingers in my hair as he pulled out, then thrust back into me. He was slow at first, taking his time, but he knew how much I hated to be teased. I let out a whimper of dissatisfaction as he thrust into me over and over. My legs shook with the effort to keep my knees spread apart. My arms braced themselves on the headboard, fingers gripping into the wood.

I pushed back against him, meeting every thrust and hearing the smack of my ass against his pelvis. His hand moved from my hair and down slightly to grip at my shoulder. Then his other hand moved from my waist and curled down to catch some of the wetness at my clit.

My breathing quickened at the anticipation of it all.

He gave the small bud a flick, which sent a jolt of pleasure through me.

“ _Fuck_ ,” I gasped, my voice raspy with need. All I wanted was for him to torture my little nub until he gave me some kind of release, but he had other plans.

Mikey circled his thumb through the arousal in my folds, dragging it through slowly and eliciting a series of small whimpers from me. His knuckles brushed against my clit with every stroke of his hand and all I wanted was to hold his hand there and clench until my orgasm overthrew me, but before I could do anything, his hand retreated.

I knew what was coming next, because it was always the same with him.

Our sex positions had become a routine, and I couldn’t even remember the last time we’d even used the missionary position. It was always from behind, and then maybe if I was lucky, we’d do the reverse cowgirl.

But I honestly couldn’t remember the last time we’d been face to face during this particular activity. My breath quickened as I felt his hand ghost across the curve of my ass. I didn’t have much there, but Mikey had never complained.

I felt him still within me as his thumb came to my smaller hole. I’d done a lot of trial and error with my backdoor, and I’d come to know what I liked. It had taken me a long time for Mikey to earn my trust to be able to work with my little starfish. And now, it had become a staple for us during sex. He had some kind of affinity with the smaller hole.

I had never allowed him to stick his dick in there, purely because I was that much smaller than his huge girth and I didn’t want him to rip me apart. But, he had shoved many a vibrator up there.

He massaged at my starfish with his wet fingers. According to him, my arousal was the best form of lube. He pressed at the hole with his thumb and I groaned as I felt my sphincter give way and his thumb was swallowed inside me.

I gasped and pushed back against him, needing some other kind of friction. He had stilled his dick inside me, so I reached underneath me and squeezed his balls. It jolted him into action and he thrust the rest of the way into me.

I let out a curse as it pushed me forward and I almost smacked my head on the headboard. Mikey was breathing heavily behind me. I was seated on his thumb and his dick. He massaged his thumb in my ass and it made me release a high-pitched moan.

Then he began thrusting in and out of my center. I could feel my orgasm beginning to pool in the base of my stomach as I was overstimulated.

If I hadn’t been holding onto the headboard, I’d have reached down and put one hand on my clit and the other on my breast to toy with my nipples. I was hard like diamonds on my chest and all I wanted was to relieve some of the pressure.

My ass clapped against his hips as he thrust his thumb and his cock into me. I felt my eyes flutter closed and an excited smile graced my lips. I was really going to come this time.

My lips opened, ready to let out a moan that surrounded my boyfriend’s name, until I felt his cock give a kick. He hollered behind me and pushed his cock into me as far as it would go.

Then I felt him begin to coat my inner walls as let his release cloud over him. His thumb was still thrusting and massaging the inner rims of my asshole but the climb of my climax was gone.

Mikey held me on his dick with the hand on my shoulder, making me arch my back as he ground himself into me slowly. Then he pulled his thumb from my ass and moved both hands down to caress my hips.

If I had been facing him, I’m sure I would have seen his head thrown back in pure bliss as he filled me up with his release. My walls burned with the need to release and I could feel my clit throbbing painfully.

My eyes clenched closed as I tried to find any pleasure in the way he used me. All I wanted was for him to focus on my release instead of his. Mikey was an incredibly selfish lover, but he didn’t know he was doing it.

I had taken his virginity when we first started dating four years ago, and he’d been this way since. After coming down from his high, Mikey slapped my ass again before pulling out of me. I heard him chuckle behind me as he watched the head of his cock release from my hole.

I lay down against the sheets, my knees finally happy that I wasn’t pressing them into the mattress. I let go of the headboard and rolled over in time to see Mikey depositing his condom in his trashcan.

He gave me a smile before walking back over to me and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. “I’m gonna go shower before work,” he said. I nodded, giving him a fake smile. He grinned and kissed me again. “It was good for you too, right?”

I fought against the frown that I wanted to plaster across my face.

If a guy had to ask that, he’d done something wrong. Only a guy who really knew what they were doing down there didn’t need to ask if it was ‘ _good for you, too_.’

But I didn’t tell Mikey that. I gave him a soft smile and nodded before watching him walk to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I sighed, scowling, before I got out of his bed and shrugged on a discarded t-shirt on his bedroom floor.

I pulled on a pair of panties and then walked out into his kitchen. Mikey’s apartment wasn’t much. It was as basic and small as any other one-bedroom apartment in a small town. His kitchen was shoebox sized, and I pulled a skillet from one of his cupboards. Then I got to work sizzling some bacon and eggs for breakfast.

When I finished, I placed it all on a plate for myself. I frowned, I’d forgotten to make two servings. I’d gotten into the habit of cooking for one, because that’s what happened when you lived alone.

I placed the plate on the counter, before moving to the Keurig to make a coffee. As it was boiling, I heard Mikey come out of his room. I looked up to see him in his uniform. I had no idea what menial job he was going to be given today, and I wasn’t all that interested.

Call me a bad girlfriend or whatever, but there was only so many times I could listen to Mikey complain about people who didn’t want to be given parking tickets. _If you don’t want the ticket, don’t park in the red. It’s pretty simple._

As I turned away from the coffee maker, Mikey swiped my breakfast from the counter before grabbing a fork and digging in.

“Thanks for the breakfast, babe,” he said between mouthfuls, “But next time, try to remember I like my eggs scrambled, not Sunnyside up.” I fought away my scowl and instead plastered a fake smile on my face. Like I said, Mikey was a selfish lover, and apparently that trait could be applied to breakfast etiquette as well.

“No problem, M,” I said. “I’ll remember tomorrow.”

Mikey gave me a grin before placing down his – _my_ – half eaten breakfast. He got up from the table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before pulling me close for a kiss.

I tried not to cringe at the way his breath smelt like egg as he pushed his tongue into my mouth. When we pulled apart, I lifted my coffee mug to my lips to hide my annoyance. Maybe I was getting my period soon and that’s why I was being extra crabby.

Or maybe it was just because, you know, some people didn’t get to orgasm this morning. Mikey pressed a kiss to my forehead before grabbing his jacket.

“I’m having one of the boys pick me up because my car is still at the station,” he said. “I’ll see you for dinner tonight?” he asked. I nodded.

“Yeah I won’t be at the precinct today, I’ve gotta go interview some character witnesses of my drug dealing kids,” I said. Mikey nodded before heading for the door.

“Alright babe, well, be safe and maybe after dinner tonight we can have some more fun.” He wiggled his eyes suggestively and I gave him a nod before he left.

My coffee suddenly tasted sour in my mouth and when I watched the front door close, I lifted one hand and sent him the middle finger with a scowl.

_Inconsiderate clueless asshole._

.

I swiped through the messages on my phone, replying to one from my best friends, Capris Evans. She taught high school Biology and lived in the apartment across the hall from me in Lorida.

We had been friends since college and in my absence, I’d asked her to look after my cat, Daphne. I may or may not have had a childhood obsession with Scooby Doo, but due to my catastrophic dog allergy, I’d decided to get a cat.

And I’d named her Daphne because she was a sassy cat who always got her way. She was a cute little Scottish Fold and her coat was a grey tortoise-shell color and she had these striking blue eyes.

She was my little princess and I absolutely adored her. I was sad that I’d had to leave her in Capris’ hands for the time being. Capris was not known for her love of the animal kingdom, but I guess her having managed to not kill or lose any of her students made her fit to feed my elusive pet.

I chuckled at the message from my friend, it was a little hard to read, what with the countless emoji’s spread throughout, but the crux of the text was that Daphne had sat at her bowl for two hours and meowed at Capris until she fed her the right brand of food.

Like I said, Daphne always got her way.

Capris must have given her dry food for dinner instead of her usual can of cat tuna.

I turned off my phone and placed it back into my pocket. Then I looked up at the logo of the workshop I was sat outside. I didn’t want to go inside, purely because of who owned it, but my case files told me that one of the boys who’d been arrested for possession worked here.

I scowled and pushed myself out of the car. I needed to get this over with, even if it meant running into a certain blond biker.

I stalked up through the driveway. My eyes caught on the open workshops filled with cars in various stages of dismemberment. Men in denim overalls covered in grease milled about the area. Some were on a smoke break, others wore masks over their faces as they lowered welding tools to the engines of broken vehicles.

The orange sparks that flew out of some of the bodices was a little distracting. Even from here I could see the name tags on each of the men’s overalls. And my eyes didn’t miss the various spray paint tags over the tin roller doors and sides of buildings.

This was – unsurprisingly – a place frequented by the MC, and I was sure that that was because the place was owned by none other than the smart mouthed VP I’d run into yesterday.

From the faces of the men working in the shop, I could tell that the kid I was here to question, was nowhere around. I frowned, looking around the place. One of the men was working on a custom Cutlass, and even from here it was looking impeccable.

I had to admit that Jax did good work here.

My eyes flicked up to the rotating sign on the roof of the main office that said ‘Jackson Motors’. How many times had I heard him talk about this place and how he always wanted to inherit it.

The buildings looked the same as they had when I was in highschool.

“You stalkin’ me now, Dollface?” a voice chuckled from behind me. I jumped at the sound, startled by how close it was. How had he managed to sneak up on me?

“I’ll admit,” he continued. “I knew you’d come crawling around for a quickie, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. We saw each other, what? Eighteen hours ago?”

I spun around to glare at Jacob Jackson. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

“I’m not here for anything of that nature. I’m here for work.”

Jax raised an eyebrow at me and a grin lifted his lips. He was laughing at me.

“I meant to ask yesterday,” he said, his eyes flicking up to look at my hair, “When did you cut it so short? In highschool, I seem to remember that you liked me pulling on that ponytail mid thrust.”

I scowled at Jax, ignoring the way my thighs clenched at the memory. I was wound so tight after this morning that any dirty words would probably make me combust.

“That’s none of your business,” I managed to growl. “Now, we’re off topic. I’m just here to speak to Angus Philips.”

“You mean, Scotty?” Jax frowned. “What’s he done now?”

Jax was sporting a confused look and I frowned. Did he not know that one of his workmen got picked up for possession?

“He was arrested a week ago, along with another kid, for possession of a key of pure cocaine with the intent to distribute,” I said slowly. Jax glared at me.

“Fuck,” he mumbled. “Knew I shouldn’t have hired stupid kids, I don’t need this shit coming down on my door.”

I frowned. “Do you know where he is? He was let out on bail because some fuck up temp at the precinct messed up the paperwork and set them both free. Chief thinks he split.”

Jax ran a hand through his hair. “Well he hasn’t shown up to work in a couple days and I was gettin’ ready to fire him,” Jax said. “I can get the club to look for ‘em if you want?”

I frowned. I knew what that meant. If I agreed to that, not only would I owe the club a favor for their help but I also knew what would happen to that kid if the MC found him first. He’d come back to the precinct in pieces, if at all.

I shook my head. “No, that’s okay. We have an APB out on the two kids, we should be able to find them.”

Jax cocked an eyebrow and grinned at me. “C’mon, dollface, _use me_ ,” he said. “I can help you, my resources are probably more effective than yours.”

I glared at him.

“And no doubt illegal,” I said. “Forget it, it’s not happening. You want to help?” I asked, then pulled a business card from my wallet. “Call that number if he shows up again.”

Jax just rolled his eyes. “Wow, already giving me your number, doll? Bit forward, huh?” he chuckled. “And here I thought you had a boyfriend.”

I fought my glare and turned on my heel. “That will be all, Mr. Jackson.”

I ignored Jax’s chuckling as he watched me walk away. I’d had enough of self-centered assholes for the day.

I needed a bath.

And a bottle of vodka to take the edge off.

.

**I already love Jax so much, lmao.**


	4. 3

#  **CHAPTER THREE**

**Everly**

My eyes felt heavy as I sat at my makeshift desk at the precinct. I’d been on the case for a few days and I was down to my last pair of clean clothes. I was going to have to go back to my apartment to get new ones soon.

And to check up on my cat. I hadn’t heard anything from Capris in a while so I had to make sure they somehow hadn’t killed each other.

“Want a coffee?” a voice asked. I looked up to see Imogen Leeds smiling down at me. She was the only other female detective at the Okeechobee station and I’d found myself drawn to her. We’d worked together a few times in the past, and become friends over our mutual disgust for our sexist colleagues.

She had helped me get my revenge of Paulson and Reynolds many times. She was good people. She gave me a huge grin and lifted one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

She had admitted to me years ago that she’d gotten them permanently tattooed she’d struggled with alopecia as a kid. I knew she had no trouble with that part of her life now, because she had an amazing set of braids that flowed over her shoulders and down to her back.

Imogen was Nigerian, and her beautiful dark skin made her radiant. It also made her green eyes seem very bright and her teeth even brighter.

“Uhm yeah, half shot please,” I said. “Don’t wanna be up all night.”

Imogen nodded before walking away to the kitchen. I turned back to the case on my desk. Angus ‘Scotty’ Philips had yet to surface, and the APB that I’d ordered a few days ago had come up with nothing. His accomplice, Benjamin Hale, was also nowhere to be seen. I’d scoured their last known locations and come up with jack shit.

Angus’ eyes were staring into my soul through his mugshot. His red hair was messy and his skin was pale white. His eyes looked hollow, no doubt from whatever drug he’d been taking. Benjamin didn’t look any better in his photo. His mocha skin was stretched tight across his bones making him look incredibly sick.

His dark brown eyes looked haunted and angry as he stared down the lense of the camera. I sighed, wanting to shove away the documents and never look at these boy’s faces again.

This case was driving me crazy and I silently cursed Chief Miller. Easy case my ass.

I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. I felt someone sit beside me and looked up to see Imogen cocking her eyebrow at me. I’d asked her to help me with this case seeing as all the other detectives were busy.

“You look like shit, Ev. Have you not been sleeping well?” she asked. I shrugged and gave her a half laugh before devouring half the coffee she’d placed in front of me.

My tongue burned at the temperature and it was sure to give me coffee breath but I didn’t care. I could feel the energy returning to my bones with each second that I sat drinking.

“I’ve been staying at Mikey’s. Just not used to the bed is all,” I said. Imogen gave me a knowing look.

She knew all about my misadventures in sex with Mikey.

“Well, you’re welcome to crash on my couch if it ever becomes so unbearable,” she said. I smiled. I logged into the monitor at my desk as Imogen picked up the case files.

“Have we checked with all the known users in town to see if they recognize the kids?” she asked. My eyebrow raised and I sat back from the computer. I turned and gave Imogen a smile.

“I’ve spoken with like two but I was actually _just_ about to check the database for more because I don’t know the area all that well,” I said. “Great minds think alike, huh, Immy?”

Imogen chuckled and made me scoot out of the way so that she could put in all her codes to pull up everyone in Okeechobee who’d been arrested on drug charges.

“There’s a big chance that the dealers get their stuff from out of town,” Imogen said, “Maybe you should check the Lorida database, too.”

I nodded and pointed at one of the boxes under my desk. “Yeah, I had the same idea. I got one of the deputies in Lorida to send over every drug charge case from the last ten years yesterday.”

Imogen grinned at me.

“We make a pretty good team,” she chuckled. I grinned and leaned back in my chair to drink the rest of my coffee. It was bitter and didn’t have any creamer in it – they must have run out. I cringed at the taste but decided to finish it anyway. I needed the extra energy to stay awake.

“Maybe we should organize a couple stakeouts in the area,” Imogen said. I nodded.

“Like around all the most well-known drop spots?” I said. Imogen grinned but then I frowned. “We don’t want to spook anyone though, so maybe it should be purely reconnaissance missions.”

Imogen frowned. “Ev, if we see someone doing something illegal, we’re supposed to arrest them.”

I shrugged. “I know, but this case is about more than just arresting people. We need to infiltrate the dealer and find the supplier so we can take the whole operation down. It’s not going to happen overnight, Immy.”

Imogen sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she said lowly. “I just hate having to witness people buying and selling drugs. The more we let it happen, the more drugs there are in town and the bigger the risk that someone will get hurt.”

I nodded, rubbing her back. Her voice told me everything I needed to know. She had some history with drugs that she wasn’t willing to share, but I could tell that it was painful enough for this case to be rubbing her the wrong way.

We went back to the computer, flicking through different profiles and arrest reports of those who’d been brought in for drug possession or use in town. I scowled at the amount of leather jackets that met my eyes through the screen.

They all wore sarcastic smiles and grins, and I wanted to punch some sense into every single one of them. From what I could tell, most of the MC members who had been arrested for possession or use were prospects. There was no way that the fully patched members would risk running around town carrying keys of pot.

They weren’t that stupid.

I was ready to give up on the long list of drug users when I heard the front door to reception open. I couldn’t see through to there, because the reception and the bullpen were separated by a door, however that door was open and I could hear everything.

His voice floated through to the bullpen, sounding gruff but joking like it always did. Just the thought of him had me wanting to hit him with the closest chair.

I wasn’t listening to whatever he was saying to the receptionist – Betty. That was, until I heard mention of Imogen.

“Great, I’ll just take you through and you can speak with Detective Leeds.”

My eyes widened and I looked back over at my friend. She hadn’t heard anything yet as she was still engrossed in the many profiles on her screen. I tried not to look up as Jax and Betty walked in and stood in the doorway.

He was wearing that damn smirk again. _Where was the closest chair?_

I watched from the corner of my eye as the receptionist pointed him in our direction. His head turned and he grinned when his eyes landed on me. He thanked Betty – who gave him a haphazard wave because she was too engrossed in staring at his face – before I heard his footsteps come closer.

Betty watched his ass as he walked – something I’d done in the past, too many times to count – before she gave a nod of approval to herself and walked back to her desk. Her heels clicked on the floor.

I looked up with a glare as Jax’s handsome face leaned over my cubicle partition and watched Imogen and I.

“Can we help you?” I asked, my voice low and hateful. Jax just grinned at me.

“I’m looking for Detective Leeds, here, who Betty has assured me can help with running some plates.” Jax gave me a grin, his eyes glinting. He raised an eyebrow at me, making me look up at the small silver stud in his eyebrow that hadn’t been there two days ago.

I hated to admit that it actually kind of looked good – if you liked that kind of thing, I guess. I ignored the heat in my stomach.

Imogen looked up from the computer and her eyes widened as they settled on Jax. I could see the bloom of attraction in her eyes and couldn’t ignore the pinch of jealousy in my chest – where the hell had that come from.

I shook my head, ignoring the spike inside me that told me to hit Imogen over the head with a stapler. She was watching Jax with hooded eyes, and he regarded her with a grin. I scowled. I wanted to hit him with a stapler, too.

Imogen sent me a glance and her eyes widened slightly. I raised an eyebrow at her and she just grinned. I frowned in confusion, I had no idea what she was planning.

“Well, I’m actually kind of swamped with a case at the moment,” she said, “But I’m sure that Detective Shimura would be happy to help you out.”

I glared at my friend, trying to stab her with my eyes. She just grinned not-so-innocently back at me. I looked up at Jax with a frown, and he was smirking furiously. I fought the urge to roll me eyes.

“That would be perfect,” Jax smirked. “Detective?” he asked, looking pointedly at me. I glared at him and stood from my chair. I sent Imogen a stink eye, to which she just winked at me with a laugh, before I stomped away from my desk and over to hers.

I logged into her monitor as Jax took a seat beside me. I could smell his cologne from here. Something spicy mixed with cigarettes and engine grease. He was infuriating me and he wasn’t even talking.

I opened up the software that allowed me to search number plates.

“May I ask why you need this particular service,” I asked. I looked at Jax through the corner of my eye and he shrugged with a smile. He leaned back in his chair and placed his arms behind his head.

“Who says that wasn’t just an excuse to come and see you, doll?” he smirked. I turned to him with a glare, to which he chuckled.

“Seriously?” I asked, my voice exasperated. “I have actual work to do right now, Jacob. I don’t have time to entertain whatever it is that you want from me.”

Jax chuckled, raising an eyebrow at me. The piercing glinted under the harsh lights of the precinct. “Wow, you’re wound tight,” he said to me. “Let me guess, someone hasn’t gotten any in a while.”

I glared at him. “That’s none of your business,” I said darkly. He didn’t need to know he was wrong, more importantly, he didn’t need to know the real reason I was mad right now. He was right, I was wound tight, but it was only because my boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to let me get off, and sitting in front of me was the only man who’d ever actually helped me achieve that big ‘O’.

And I couldn’t help that my panties were drenched right now, at just the thought of him doing it again.

Jax smirked at me. “Whatever you say, Dollface. But just remember that I can show you a good time, you know, if your boyfriend can’t be bothered.”

I scowled. “I’m perfectly happy with Michael, thank you very much,” I said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

Jax laughed. “Babe, I was only pulling your leg. I actually do need a plate run.”

I glared at him. He grinned.

“But it was just so fun to see you get all riled up. I haven’t done that in a while.”

Where was that chair, again? He really did deserve to be knocked over the head. I didn’t care if it landed me behind bars on assault charges.

But I didn’t hit him. Instead I took a really deep breath to try and ignore the infuriating presence before me, and then sat back down in my chair.

“Why do you need a plate run?” I asked, trying to keep calm and professional. Jax shrugged.

“We get random vehicles show up without owners at the shop all the time. Gotta run plates before we do any work just to make sure we’re not wasting time and supplies on unregistered vehicles,” he admitted. I narrowed my eyes at him and he shrugged with a half-smile.

“Got an Impala dropped off this morning in pretty bad condition with no owner and no note,” he said. I considered his statements. I guess he was just keeping his shop as legal as possible.

“Plate number?” I asked.

“262 – CZK.”

I nodded, trying to ignore him as best I could as I let the program find the owner. When it got a hit, I nodded once.

“Belongs to a Mrs. Jefferson. She lives on the outskirts of town. I can send someone to pay her a visit for you and ask a few questions before you do any work,” I said. Jax gave me a grin and a nod before he got out of his seat.

“Thanks for the help, babe,” he smirked. “And seriously, if your boyfriend doesn’t know what he’s doing in the bedroom, I’d be happy to… _service_ you.”

I glared at him, rethinking my plan to ignore his words. He chuckled at the furious expression on my face before he sent me a mock salute and turning on his heel. I glared at him as he left, and damnit, I couldn’t help but stare at his ass just like Betty had.

What could I say, it was a good ass.

.

Hours later, I was ready to go home. Mikey had left a little while before me, so I knew he’d be sitting on his couch, drinking beer and watching football by the time I made it back.

I was one of the last of the day shift to leave the precinct, and I could see a couple of the night workers giving me a nod as I walked out. I waved to Jude – the janitor – on my way. He was a nice man who didn’t put up with anyone’s shit.

He was my kind of guy.

As I left the precinct and made it to my car, I was ready to fall asleep. I clicked open the passenger door to my car and threw in the bag I’d been holding. It was full of muffins I’d stolen from the kitchen. Could you blame me? They were surely about to go bad.

I practically rescued them from the trash.

Instead, they’d live out their days in my stomach as I enjoyed every single one.

I jumped three feet into the air and hit my head on the roof of my car as I heard a voice chime behind me.

“I haven’t seen that ass in so long.”

I whipped around, nursing the bump that was sure to form on the top of my head. I glared at the man in the leather jacket who was propped up casually on his bike. His eyebrow piercing glinted at me under the glow of the street light.

“Tell me, does your boy treat it as good as I did?” Jax asked. I scowled at him.

“What do you want?” I demanded. “Have you been out here since you asked me to run those plates?”

Jax just grinned and gave me a half shrug. I watched as he pulled a joint from his pocket and lit it right in front of me. I glared at him as the faint familiar scent of the green bud wafted through my nose. Either he didn’t care that he was in a police station parking lot, or he was just stupid.

“I hope you have a prescription for that,” I said darkly. Jax just chuckled.

“Of course, doll. Everything I do is _completely_ legal.”

I rolled my eyes. He had to be lying. There was no way that everything he did was legal. The statement itself was laughable.

“So, what’s so wrong with you that you need to smoke weed?”

Jax shrugged with a grin. He eyed me. “You really gonna ask questions, or are you gonna take a hit?”

I scowled as I remembered the first time he’d said that to me. He’d been behind the quad in high school and I’d stumbled upon him smoking. I’d threatened to tell the principal and he’d just laughed.

I’d been curious, as I’d never tried it, so I had made the mistake of asking him what it tasted like. Jax had given me that same self-assured grin and had offered his joint to me. That afternoon was the first time I’d gotten high.

After that, getting high became a regular occurrence with us. But I was different now. Shit had changed.

“I represent the law, asshole. I’m gonna ask questions.”

Jax just shrugged with a laugh in his eyes. I could see that the drug was already affecting him a little. His smile was lazy and his eyes were relaxed. “Fine, then let’s just say it’s for my back or something,” he chuckled. “Take your pick, but I do know of one body part that’s working _just fine_.”

He wiggled his eyes at me and I scowled.

“You’re a pig.”

Jax just shrugged. I rolled my eyes and walked back to the other side of my car. Before throwing myself into the driver’s seat, I gave Jax one last fleeting look.

“Call someone to come and pick you up,” I said. “You can’t ride while inebriated.”

Jax just smirked at me. “Babe, I seem to recall that I have perfect judgement when _inebriated._ I can do things better when I’m high than I can when I’m sober,” he laughed. “You’ve witnessed the truth in that statement for yourself.”

I glared at him as he went on.

“Do you remember that one night in that playground? Shit, we were so high that night but I still remember the taste of your pussy after I made you come all over my hand,” Jax laughed. My mouth dropped in disgust.

I couldn’t believe I’d ever felt anything but for this man.

I glared at him and dropped into my car. I slammed my door and started my engine. Before I could drive away, I heard a tap on my window.

I looked up and glared out the passenger side. I rolled down the window and Jax gave me a relaxed smirk.

“What?” I demanded. Jax just grinned.

“Think of me when you fuck that boy toy tonight.”

I glared at him and snapped my mouth shut. He didn’t deserve a retort. I was better than that. I put my car into gear and sped out of that parking lot with Jax’s laugh filtering through my still opened window.

I hated that I could feel the arousal between my thighs because he was fucking right.

I _would_ think of him when I fucked Mikey tonight. Just like I thought of him every other damn time Mikey sunk his cock into the folds of my pussy.

I hated that.

.

**We’ve all been there, Everly.**


	5. 4

#  **CHAPTER FOUR**

**Everly**

I pulled out my pocket notebook as I looked around. I was standing on top of the roof of a school building. After Imogen and I had looked through some drug possession charges for others, someone pointed me in the direction of the school.

I was happy to find the gigantic stash of marijuana being grown on the rooftop.

The school had a greenhouse of sorts on their roof, and it had become a popular hangout spot for seniors during their spare periods. A teacher had noticed some of the students returning to class glassy eyed and slow to react to questions.

When I’d made it up there, I’d been happy to find the cluster of well-groomed cannabis plants among the other flowers and plant life. Whoever had set it all up was very diligent in making sure their stash was well cared for.

It was kind of genius actually, because not many people really actually knew what a fully-grown cannabis plant looked like, and so for anyone without a green thumb, it looked like it belonged with everything else on the rooftop greenhouse.

I scoured the area for any other traces of it and found a lockbox buried in soft soil. I grinned, shoving a pair of gloves on before I managed the pick the basic lock. Inside the lockbox were a stash of lighters, squares of cigarette papers ready to roll into joints, as well as a mix of other ways to smoke the drug.

I took pictures with my phone for time stamps and jotted down all my notes in my book. The whole situation seemed smart enough – for juvenile molly users – but it was nothing like the high-grade security or diligence used by more experienced drug users.

I called in for one of the deputies at the station to bring supplies to the school that I could use to bag up the stash and file it in evidence. Then when he arrived, I spent my afternoon closing off the area and digging up five or so cannabis plants to take back to the station.

I wanted to wash the smell of marijuana out of my clothes, but I still hadn’t been back to my apartment to pick up anything clean. Maybe it was time. It would give me an excuse to check up on Capris and Daphne, and I’d be able to pick up more things that I used in my daily life.

It looked like my ‘easy case’ was going to turn into a very long investigation. Miller sure knew how to pick them.

I rolled my eyes at myself as I waved goodbye to the deputy. He grinned at me before driving out of the school parking lot. I leant against the hood of my car, looking around before pulling out my phone.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found Capris’ name. She picked up on the fifth ring. I had almost thought she was going to ignore me. It was still school hours after all.

_“Hey, babe, what’s going on?”_ she asked. Her voice sounded weirdly tight.

I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me. “Just confiscated five cannabis plants from Okeechobee High,’ I laughed. Capris giggled.

_“Seriously? Kids were growing pot on campus?”_

I laughed. “Yeah, like idiots. Do kids just not realize that most adults can tell the symptoms of someone who has just smoked a joint?”

_“Right? I can’t tell you how many little shits I’ve had to teach while their eyes are all bloodshot and they can’t see straight. It’s like, c’mon Cameron we’ve all done molly, I’m not an idiot.”_

I laughed. I could hear the lag as I heard my voice carry through the phone and repeat to my friend. It was a little weird to hear my voice that way.

_“Anyway, so how’s the case going?”_

I scoffed. “You don’t actually care. You just want to know how much longer you have to look after Daphne.”

_“Can you blame me? Your cat is literally Satan in a tiny, cute, furry body.”_

I grinned. “She’s not that bad.”

Capris scoffed loudly. _“I beg to differ. That damn cat came and sat on my face while I was sleeping two nights ago and almost suffocated me. Then she tried to bite me when I pushed her off. She’s a menace!”_

I laughed, running a hand through my hair. My lip quirked as I heard something buzzing in the background of the call. I looked around the parking lot to see if it was on my end, but I was the only one in the school parking lot.

It must have been coming from Capris’ end.

“Anyway, my case is coming along really slowly, it looks like I’m probably going to be here for a while until my suspects and witnesses start fucking talking. I’m gonna have to make a trip back home soon to pick up some more clothes and some other supplies. So, I’ll bring Daph back with me, so you only have to survive a few more days with her.”

Capris groaned on the other end of the call. I frowned. That groan wasn’t out of annoyance, it was out of something else.

“What the fuck is that noise? Do you have a vacuum on or something?” I asked, annoyance clear in my tone.

_“Not quite.”_ Capri’s voice was breathless and light. My eyes widened as I heard a small moan filter through my speaker. My jaw dropped.

“Oh my god! Capris Evans, are you having sex while on the phone with me?” I couldn’t believe her.

_“Of course not, babe. I would never.”_ Her voice was tight and her words were short. I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t you dare fucking lie to me, I know your sex moans better than you do. Don’t forget that we practically share a wall.”

Capris’ breath started coming out in small pants. _“Alright, fine. You caught me. I’m just taking Black Beauty for a spin.”_

I cringed. “Oh my god, I do not need to hear about what you’ve named your vibrator.” My voice was full of disgust as I heard Capris let out a breathy laugh.

_“If you think about this, it’s all your fault,”_ she said. _“You’re the one who called me up during prime wank time.”_

“Gross! Jesus, Capris. No one told you to take the call. Also, it’s three in the afternoon! Why aren’t you at school?”

Capris’ chime laugh filtered through the phone. _“Called in sick. Anyways, don’t judge me for my sexual habits. Some of us don’t have a boyfriend to suck our clit whenever we want, this is my only option, bitch.”_ she laughed. I rolled my eyes, ignoring the ‘oh yes’ and the ‘fuck yes, right there’ that she whisper-moaned to herself.

She had no idea how wrong she was. Mikey hadn’t sucked my clit in months.

“Why am still on the phone with you, this is disgusting,” I said. I moved to hang up when I heard her voice start up again.

_“Hey, quick question,”_ she said. _“Do you think cats can be attracted to the buzzing sound that vibrators make?”_

I cringed. “I’m afraid to know why you asked that question.”

She laughed. _“I’m serious! Your asshole cat doesn’t give me the time of day until I pull out Black Beauty or Pinky Pie, then suddenly she can’t leave me alone.”_

I groaned. “Oh my god, please stop masturbating in front of my cat. You’re going to scar her and I’m going to have to take her to cat therapy.” I didn’t even know if that was a real thing. I just wanted to end this call.

_“Hey, it’s not my fault that she’s curious and wants to come in when I’m trying to get off.”_ Capris let out a loud moan and I cringed.

“Speaking of getting off, this conversation is going down a road that I’m not willing to travel, so I’m hanging up on you,” I said. I moved to press the giant red button to end the call just as I heard Capris’ telltale half-moan/half-squeal of pleasure as she came.

_“Oh, fuck! Yes! Yes! Yes, Oohh!”_ she cursed loudly as she moaned again.

My eyes widened and I slammed my thumb down to end the call.

I hated that I knew my panties were wet at hearing her orgasm.

I had serious problems. And if girls could have blue balls, that was exactly what I was feeling right now.

.

My phone call with Capris had me all kinds of flustered. I got out of car and walked into the only diner in town. Maybe I was just light headed because I was hungry. That had to be it, I hadn’t had anything to eat all day, this was just my body telling me that it needed fuel.

Plus, the smell of the molly that I’d inhaled earlier had probably done its part in fueling my appetite a little bit.

I slumped down in an empty booth. I knew that usually there was someone at the door to help you find a seat, but today, the doorway was empty, as were most of the seats in the diner besides a booth in the far corner that was occupied by two couples.

They all looked vaguely familiar. If their leather jackets didn’t already give it away.

One of the men was brown skinned and tatted up and down and was sitting next to a pale woman with striking honey blonde hair. The other girl had the same brown skin as the man, and I knew they must have been related, and beside her was a tall tanned man with a crop of dark hair.

I could only see his back, but he looked eerily familiar.

All except the pretty blonde were wearing the DireWolves patch on their backs, and the brown skinned guy was facing me. His brown eyes were hard and easily recognizable. He had a ring in his nose and was staring at me.

You had to live under a rock if you didn’t know who Lucas ‘Talon’ Knight was in this town. He was the President of the MC, and the fact that he was staring at me was making me extremely uncomfortable.

I wasn’t wearing a uniform, so his reason for staring had to be something other than that I was a cop. Maybe he had a vague memory of me from when I was with his best friend. It had been a long time, and I looked very different now, but who knows.

The brown skinned girl I knew was Coraline, his younger sister. I vaguely remembered her from high school, and she’d hung around the club house a lot when I’d been with Jax. She wasn’t much taller now, but I couldn’t tell much else from the back of her head.

I assumed that the pale girl was Lucas’ old lady. The way that she held softly onto his arm clued me in. I could see a small glint on her ring finger and assumed the two were hitched.

I could hear their laughter at some joke filter through the air as I sat in my booth. Then, a waiter finally came over to my table.

“What can I get you?” she asked. Her voice was lazy and as I stared up at her I realized she’d rather be anywhere else. She was wearing a bored expression and her dyed black hair was hanging limply over her shoulders. I could see her brown roots beginning to show through.

I could see her nametag haphazardly stuck to her breast pocket. _Leila_.

When I didn’t answer in time, she rolled her eyes. They were a pretty blue color, striking against her all black outfit. Her wrists were covered in many black bands, probably hiding something on her skin like a tattoo or something else that spoke to her past.

“Uhm… A double cheeseburger and fries with a garden salad on the side,” I said. Just the mention of food had me salivating. I kept my mouth closed to stop myself drooling all over the table.

“Anything to drink?” she drawled.

I thought for a moment.

“Iced tea,” I replied, “With a lemon wedge, please.”

Leila rolled her eyes at me and took my menu before stalking back to the kitchen. She couldn’t be any older than eighteen, but the hunch of her shoulders and her shuffled yet determined walk told me she’d been through hard times.

I pulled out my phone and flipped through a few photos of my cat to make myself feel better before my plate was dropped carelessly in front of me. I fought my scowl up at my server, who then spilled my iced tea before it made it to the table.

The drops landed on the table. Leila walked away without giving me a second glance and I rolled my eyes, picking up the salt shaker and pouring it over my fries.

I felt a small grin overtake my lips as I stared down at my burger. I could see the cheese melting off the patties and I practically lunged for it, wanting to get that first taste in my mouth as soon as possible.

I couldn’t help that my eyes closed as I took that first bite, and I had to fight against that moan of satisfaction. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I’d been. My burger was gone before I could fully enjoy it, and then I spent time munching slowly on my fries.

I switched between the potato and my salad, but mostly, I knew I was just wasting time. I didn’t want to go home to my boyfriend. He was pissing me off for some unknown reason right now and I didn’t want to deal with him.

My distraction had been devoured and now I had no other way to waste time. I scrolled through my contacts and made a group chat with Capris, Imogen and Tyler, inviting them to come out with me tonight.

My favorite bar was in Lorida, and I knew that Immy, Tyler and I would have to travel further to get there but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of this town for a little while. I’d spent every waking minute here for the past week and already had to encounter more ghosts from my past than I’d ever want to.

It was driving my head in.

All I needed was a night out with my best friends. I purposefully didn’t invite Mikey because I knew he wasn’t one for these kinds of bars because he hated the music that they played. Plus, he’d said something this morning about staying late at work.

He would just complain the whole time, so I didn’t feel like listening to that right now. Besides, drunk sex with him was the worst and if I could avoid that then I would. Having a night in my own bed in my own apartment was just what the doctor ordered.

I was pulled out of my train of thought by my text tone.

Capris and Imogen were free. Tyler had to move some things around and he’d be late but he promised he’d make an appearance. I was glad, I hadn’t seen him in a while.

As I smiled down at my phone, I heard the grind of a motorcycle engine float into the parking lot of the diner. My eyes widened at the familiar sound and snapped up to see my mortal enemy sliding from his bike and placing his helmet on the handlebar.

I glared down at my phone, knowing that there was no way to escape and that he would definitely see me on his way in. My head fell into my hands and I gripped at my hair slightly.

I heard the chimes on the door as it opened, then his heavy footfalls as they came up behind me. I took my head from my hands and began gathering my things into my bag. My half-eaten meal lay discarded in front of me.

Before I could get up, I heard the cushion on the seat across from me let out a puff of air as someone sat down. I looked up and glared at Jax.

He smirked down at me and swiped one of my unwanted fries. My eyes were glued to his lips as he chewed, then to the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. My eyes widened slightly at the fresh ink on his throat.

_That was new._

That hadn’t been there when he’d cornered me outside the precinct.

His new tattoo was of two skeletal hands, both wound around the girth of his neck with the placement of someone’s hands as if he was being strangled. It was an interesting and slightly disturbing choice, but I also hated to admit that he wore it well.

My eyes flipped up to meet his and he grinned, knowing exactly what I’d been staring at. He always liked to watch me.

“What’s new, doll?” he asked. I glared at him.

“Nothing. I was just leaving,” I said lowly. Jax shrugged, leaning back with a grin on his face.

“Alright. I had a gift for you, but I guess, if you’re in a rush to leave I won’t stop you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“If this is another sexual innuendo then I’m not in the mood,” I said. Jax just chuckled and shook his head. “Well then what? I can’t think of anything that you have that I might want.”

Jax just shrugged taking another few fries from my plate. They had to be cold by now, I couldn’t imagine they tasted any good.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. Just a location on Scotty.”

My eyes narrowed at Jax, glaring. “I told you not to go after him,” I seethed. Jax just grinned.

“And when have I ever been one for following rules, dollface?”

I glared at him.

He grinned and pulled a slip of paper with an address from his pocket. He slid it across the table and I snatched it up greedily.

“You better not have done anything illegal to get this,” I said. Jax just gave me a noncommittal shrug, neither denying or confirming my accusation. I glared at him and shoved the slip of paper into my pocket.

Jax grinned and jumped up from his seat, taking my fries with him.

“I’ll be over there if you need anything else,” he said, pointing at his President’s table. They were all watching us silently. I had no doubt that Lucas had told Jax that I was here. I had no doubt that the President knew why I was in town, and I had no doubt that Jax had used the club and their questionable connections to find the one kid who could help my drug case.

I scowled, the piece of paper felt hot in my pocket, like it was burning a hole and trying to escape. I huffed as I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and stomped my way out of the diner.

I could feel that smirk I hated on my back as I walked away. I’d call in for someone to do some recon on the location, but right now, I needed my friends and more importantly…

I needed a goddamn drink.

.

**Soooo, Capris is interesting…**


	6. 5

#  **CHAPTER FIVE**

**Everly**

I let out a breath of relief as I made my way inside the bar. I’d driven back to Lorida after dropping the address Jax gave me, at the station. I’d sent two deputies to go and watch the building for the night for suspicious activity.

Then I’d booked it out of that damn town. I’d made it home to my own apartment where I gave Daphne a quick cuddle and then hopped into the shower. The massaging function on my shower head felt absolutely heavenly.

I’d slipped into a pair of black jeans and a black tube top. I practically had no boobs, so I didn’t really have to worry about it being unflattering. Then I’d opted out of heels and worn my Doc Martens instead. I was prepared to spend hours on that damn dancefloor, trying to forget everything from the past week.

It had truly been a shit week and I was so ready to unwind, so when I walked into _Tempest_ , I was greeted by the smell of beer and the cheer of sweaty dancers. I spotted Capris and Imogen standing at a table in the corner, already with drinks in front of them.

I gave them a wave before heading to the bar. I ordered two Screwdrivers before heading over to my friends. The first drink was almost finished before I made it over to them.

Capris sent me a grin and I tried to ignore the memory of her achieving an orgasm whilst on the phone with me that afternoon. I had to admit, it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

Capris was wearing a skintight red dress and her chocolate hair was down and hanging around her shoulders in a very Rachel Green kind of style. Imogen was wearing a yellow strappy top and black jeans to match. The yellow looked great against her skin, and her hair was still up in their usual braids, only she’d pulled them together into a high pony.

“I really hope the cute DJ is working tonight,” Capris said as a greeting. She clinked her glass with mine as we both took a sip.

“Which one? The albino or the Cuban?” Imogen asked. Capris grinned. Imogen and Capris weren’t the closest of friends, mostly due to the fact that they lived in separate towns, but they were friendly enough with each other.

I was really the glue holding our threesome together, at least until Tyler would get here.

“Guess it doesn’t matter when you’ve been with both,” I said, poking Capris with my elbow, _“Multiple times.”_ My hips swayed to the music that was playing, it was some new pop song that I’d heard once on the radio but I had no idea who sang it.

Capris rolled her eyes but grinned slyly as Imogen gasped with a smirk.

“Dirty girl,” she chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows at Capris.

“Well, seeing as you two are so nosy, I meant the Cuban. Albino was a good kisser but he wasn’t great in the sack. Cuban on the other hand, well, let’s just say that that boy knew how to find my Havana,” Capris laughed.

I giggled along with my friend. She loved casual sex, to the point where I thought she’d probably never be serious about a guy long enough to date them. She wasn’t interested in monogamy, she was more interested in how many guys she could write in her little black book.

She didn’t collect them like trophies, and she certainly wasn’t out with a different guy every night of the week, but she also didn’t see the harm in a one-night stand.

I was positive she was going to catch something, but that was just my opinion. She was happy, and that was good enough for me. Besides, it meant that I’d get to listen to every one of her stories to distract myself from the horrible sex I had with Mikey.

He was a good enough fuck, he just needed to let me get _there_ , too.

Girls have needs, too. You know?

“Well, looks like you might have a new challenge,” I said to Capris, eyeing the man walking up to the DJ booth. Capris looked up with me, I saw a film of lust cascade over her eyes.

“I seem to recall you like dark chocolate,” Imogen suggested. Capris giggled.

“I sure do,” she laughed. “You know what they say, once you go black…”

Imogen laughed and the girls both finished their drinks. I flagged down a passing waitress.

“Can we get six tequila shots for the table, please?” I asked the girl. She gave me a smile and nodded.

“Oh, hell no,” Imogen said. “Those all better be for you because I have to work tomorrow.”

I laughed and bumped her hip with mine. Capris gave me a worried look.

“Yeah, Ev. You remember the last time I had tequila, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be pussies, guys. Besides, Cece, I don’t see any Diablos dick in here tonight, you’re free to run wild.”

Capris bit her lip, still unsure, until the waitress came back with the drinks. Capris’ eyes widened when they settled on the alcohol and I watched her lips spread into a wide grin. I thanked the waitress, paying her plus a generous tip.

I turned back to my girlfriends. They had greedily both picked up two shots. I held up my first one.

“To bad decisions,” I grinned. My friends grinned before we all took the shot.

“To hooking up with delicious man candy,” Capris giggled, hiccupping slightly. I laughed before we all drank again. Then the chocolate DJ hopped onto the mic and hyped up the crowd before he started to play some techno remix of a Post Malone anthem and the crowd started dancing.

“Time to sweat off these drinks, yeah?” Imogen called. I laughed and nodded as we began moving towards the fast filling dance floor. Before we made it I felt someone come up behind me and place their hands quickly on my waist then move around me.

“Room for one more, ladies?”

I turned and beamed up at him.

“Ty!” Capris called. “Bitch, get in here. You’re like six drinks behind, you gotta catch up and then come grind with us out here.”

Tyler laughed and took Capris’ hand as she led him to the bar. Tyler was an unassuming enough looking guy. He wore a button down and jeans, as well as his horn-rimmed glasses. His blonde hair was cropped short on the sides and left to grow long on the top.

He had a small stain on his collar that I knew was from work. He was always spilling drips of ice cream all over himself. I frowned as I looked at him, like really looked at him. It was easiest to analyze someone when they weren’t paying attention to you.

His shirt was untucked and the sleeves were rolled up, which was odd for Tyler. His hair was more disheveled than normal and his cheeks had a slightly pink tinge. I frowned but then shrugged. Maybe he was trying a new look.

That was never a bad thing. Imogen pulled me closer to her on the dance floor and we raised our arms, letting go and dancing to the music. We lost ourselves in the dance for like an hour. The club was nowhere near to closing.

Tyler had fulfilled Capris’ wish and had caught up on drinks and was now jumping up and down clumsily. He’d never really been the most coordinated guy, so this was about the epitome of his club dance moves. Imogen was tearing it up.

She was grinding all over guys and twerking a cute little butt off. Most guys didn’t like that she was so tall, but tonight it was working for her. She was lost in the moment.

I looked up at the DJ booth where Capris had disappeared to, to catch her prey. The DJ had long ago abandoned his music and was just letting a playlist play, because honestly, he wasn’t going to be able to entertain a crowd _and_ shove his tongue down my best friend’s throat at the same time.

I grinned and chuckled. She had wound her legs around his hips and he had her pressed up against the equipment. I already knew she’d be spending the night at his place. She couldn’t help herself.

I turned around to find that Tyler was nowhere to be seen, he’d probably just gone to the bathroom. I sent Imogen a wave and nodded to the bar. She gave me thumbs up and kept grinding on the tall dark man behind her. He had his hands on her hips, holding her in place.

Her head was resting against his chest and they were swaying against each other.

I moved and walked up to the bar.

“Guinness, please,” I said to the bartender. He nodded and poured me a glass, handing it over.

I was happy to have a drink more low key in my hands. My head was spinning in that good tipsy way where everything is funny and everything just makes you want to laugh and smile with happiness.

I nursed my drink and walked back over to my friends. Tyler was still incommunicado so I sent him a quick text. His reply was that he’d thrown up in the bathroom and was taking a cab home.

I frowned, sad that he hadn’t said goodbye but then shrugged. I’d go talk to him later in the week at his shop. I was in need of an ice cream coma anyway.

My phone chimed again as a text from Capris came through.

**Gone home with DJ #3, don’t wait up –C**

I nodded. Classic Capris. I thought she’d stick around for a while longer but I guess not. I turned around to drink the rest of my glass and laid eyes on Imogen and her handsome stranger exchanging saliva.

They were kind of cute together and Imogen was a happy drunk, so I knew she was having fun. She opened her eyes and turned to me, dragging the guy behind her.

“We’re gonna take off,” she whispered in my ear, “You gonna be good?”

I gave her a nod. She didn’t go home with guys often so I knew she definitely needed to get laid. I grinned as she gave me a quick hug and left with her new shiny toy for the night. And suddenly, I was friendless in a bar of strangers.

Warning bells were running through my mind but I ignored them. I had a Beretta between my breasts for if anyone tried anything. I decided to order two more vodka’s and lose myself on the dancefloor.

My eyes were closed as I let myself go.

I pushed away every guy who tried to touch me. They all came up expecting that I would grind my ass all over them. Sorry, not that kind of girl.

I could feel my head beginning to spin and my hearing was dimming. I felt like I was waterlogged and everything was moving slowly and making me dizzy. That might have just been from my spinning, though.

I didn’t care. That free feeling that it was giving me was something I’d been craving for a while. I wanted to feel weightless and I wanted to feel like I could lift my feet from the ground and I’d never come back down.

I wanted to feel like I was flying, and one more drink would get me there.

I felt heady and the smile on my face was real. I let go of every anger I held towards my clueless boyfriend for never letting me find a release, and at my friends for leaving me here by myself when all I wanted was a fun night.

I was about to make my way to the bar again when I felt two hands on my waist from behind me. They gripped me and held me still. My eyes flew open with a glare, ready to turn around and slap the shit out of the idiot who thought touching me was okay.

But I was kind of frozen. Because, I had a feeling who it was.

“Stop struggling, doll. Just relax and feel the music.”

I frowned at his voice. It was low and his breath kissed the shell of my ear. But I for some reason I did what he asked. I relaxed in his arms and let him grind himself into me.

My eyes fell closed again and I leant back against him. I could feel every muscle behind me, and liked the way he held me close to him. Man, I must’ve had more to drink than I thought.

I was thinking crazy things.

He spun me around and pressed his front to mine. The force of the spin made me tilt my head up and look lazily into his eyes. They were as mesmerizing as the first time I’d ever seen them.

One was brown, one green. He never talked about his heterochromia iridium, even when we had been together, but it was something I’d always found completely breathtaking.

And now, both of his eyes were looking down and smirking at me. I felt something pressing at my hip and decided to ignore it. Instead – against my better judgement – I lifted my arms and wound them around his neck. He placed his hands on my hips and grinned as we swayed.

I wasn’t grinning, but I wasn’t frowning either. I was completely confused and didn’t know how to feel, but right now I was content to let him sway with me.

At least then I wasn’t going to throw up all over the floor from jumping up and down too much. My eyes fell to the skeleton hands around his throat and one of my fingers jumped up to stroke the line work.

“This is new,” I said, my voice low. I didn’t meet his eyes but I could tell he was smirking.

“Yup. Got it done yesterday.”

I frowned. “Why?”

Jax chuckled, shrugging. “Why not?”

I considered his statement. I had never understood people’s need to embed their skin with ink – did they not know it would be there forever? But with Jax, I don’t know, it seemed like it was meant to be there.

I had never known a Jax without tattoos, they’d always just been a part of him.

“Why are you in this bar?” I asked, my voice slurring slightly. Jax chuckled.

“Because they serve good drinks.”

I shook my head – woah, big mistake. My head spun and my vision became temporarily blurry.

“Bullshit,” I managed to get out. “Did you follow me here?”

Jax didn’t answer, so I pinched the skin at the back of his neck. He slapped my ass in retaliation and leaned down to my ear.

“Pinch me again, babe. _I dare you_.” His voice was low and it made all kinds of arousal flood my panties. My ass burned where he had spanked me, but I loved that burn.

After a while he answered my question. “Would it bother you if I said yes?”

I frowned. So, he _had_ followed me? Or not? I was confusing myself and my drunk state was _not_ helping.

I looked up at him and shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said honestly. Jax watched my eyes but finally nodded. He let go of my waist with one hand and I stumbled. Jax chuckled.

“C’mon, doll. Let’s get you home,” he said, winding an arm around me. I cringed and nodded – I was going to feel this in the morning and hate myself – and I let him lead me out of the bar.

We walked outside and I smiled at the cool night air hitting my skin. There was a slight breeze, which I was thankful for. It was drying the sticky layer of sweat on my skin. I heard Jax’s bike start up and I frowned.

“I’m not getting on that,” I said, my voice shaky. Jax chuckled.

“No other way home, babe.”

I ignored my past judgement and shook my head. My ears rung but I didn’t care.

“I’ll fall of that thing if I try and sit on it.”

Jax rolled his eyes at me. “You’ve had to ride bitch with me before.”

I shrugged. “Never drunk,” I slurred. “And I’m not about to start now. Call a cab,” I said.

Jax glared at me and sighed, getting off his bike. “Fine.” He whipped out his phone and punched in a number. Ten minutes later, we were in the back of a cab and my head was practically hanging out the window to catch the breeze.

When we made it to my apartment, I dug around in my pocket for my keys before I handed them to Jax. He unlocked my door and helped me stumble inside. I looked around the shoebox before I ignored the biker at my door, and stumbled to my bedroom.

Then I sat myself down on the bed and took off my shoes. I couldn’t get the second one off and gave a grunt of frustration before Jax leaned forward to help me. I sighed and lay down on my back as he pulled the shoe off.

“You can leave now,” I whispered, eyes closed. I heard him laugh. I cracked an eye open to see him shaking his head at me. I rolled my eyes.

“Alright fine. _Thank you_ for bringing me home,” I said grudgingly. “Now you can go.” I stood up from the bed and popped the top button on my jeans – oh, sweet baby Jesus, that felt so good, it wasn’t tight anymore. Jax’s eyes were fixated on that top button.

His eyes snapped up to meet mine and I watched them flash. Before I could track his movements – probably the alcohol’s fault – he was pushing me back down on the bed and lying over me.

My lips parted in a gasp as he pushed his lower half against mine. “You really gonna kick me out?” I whispered.

His lips fell to my neck, sucking at the skin right under my jaw. My breath became shallow. Then he pressed his dick into me.

My jeans felt so tight and I was suffocating from their heat. Wetness flooded my panties as I could feel every ridge and vein of his giant cock through his jeans.

He ground against me slowly, torturing me. His lips stayed on my neck and I let out a slight whimper. His dry hump game had always been Hercules. He was driving me wild as he ground against me.

He chuckled against my skin and then I felt his hand creep under my shirt. He cupped my breast before swiping his thumb over my nipple, _right_ as he pushed his dick against me even harder.

I let out a moan, my eyes falling shut. “Fuck,” I whispered. I pushed my pelvis against his, needing more friction. I was so horny that I was going out of my mind.

“Baby, I can take you places your boyfriend has never even dreamt of,” he growled against my skin. I moaned when he swiped across my nipple again, pinching it. He knew how fucking sensitive they were, the asshole.

My breaths began to pant from my lips as he thrust his dick against me a little faster. He pinched and swiped my nipple in time with his thrusts, squeezing my breasts. I was going crazy, my panties were drenched.

Mikey never knew which buttons to push.

_Mikey._

Shit.

My eyes flew open and I shoved Jax off me. He tripped and fell on his ass on the floor. His eyes were dark with lust as he got up, staring me down. I glared at him, somehow my mind was completely clear right now.

“I’m with Mikey, you asshole,” I spat. Jax had the nerve to smirk at me.

“We’ll see, dollface.”

I reached for my shoe off the ground and threw it at his head. I missed – I blamed it on the alcohol.

Jax chuckled before he walked out of my bedroom. I stormed after him, making sure he left my apartment.

“What makes you think you can take advantage of drunk girls, anyway? You’re a disgusting pervert,” I growled. Jax just grinned at me before nodding my way.

“Maybe I am,” he shrugged. “But I’m a disgusting pervert who left a mark on you.”

My eyes widened and my hand flew to my throat. Jax slammed the door behind him on his way out and I screeched as I ran to my bathroom.

Sure enough, he’d left a hickey on my throat – small and red and so fucking incriminating. There was no way I’d be able to fucking cover that. Mikey would see it, and I’d be dumped faster than you could say ‘cheater’.

I stomped my foot and screamed.

“Fucking _asshole!_ I’m going to fucking kill you! You stupid piece of mother-fucking shit!”

.

**How’re y’all liking it so far??**


	7. 6

#  **CHAPTER SIX**

**Everly**

Stumbling into the bathroom that morning was a mission in and of itself. My head was pounding and I kept seeing stars behind my closed eyes. I don’t even know how long my head was buried in the porcelain bowl.

I just know that my hand was glued to the flush button and I pressed it so many times that my arm became numb from holding it up for so long. It was in instances like this that I praised my decision for short hair, because I didn’t have to worry about my upcoming alcohol and stomach juices becoming tangled in my hair.

When my stomach had emptied itself, my head was still screaming at me, so I crawled into my shower and blasted myself with scalding water. I wanted to wash away every piece of evidence of last night.

I wanted to say that mornings like this made me promise myself I’d never drink again, but I knew that was a lie. Drinking was the only thing that allowed me to temporarily forget everything else going on in my life.

I cringed as I started to wash my hair. I scrubbed at myself until I felt completely clean. Then I was met with one of my fluffy white towels as I pat myself dry. My eyes flipped up to the mirror on the wall and my eyes became as wide as saucers.

I scowled and my jaw dropped as my hand flew to my throat. That damn hickey that Jax had given me last night had faded some, but it was still noticeable.

I pulled some of my green concealer from my makeup bag and dabbed it over the area before applying a layer of foundation to my skin, before powder. I finished my makeup routine, applying a simple cat smoky eye and some minor contour before swiping on a nude lip.

I admired my handiwork. I’d managed to cover it up well enough, but it would no doubt peek through by the end of the day, so I’d have to keep reapplying. If my hair were longer, I would’ve used that to cover it, but unfortunately it was still cropped short.

And it was too hot in Florida for a scarf.

I hated Jax. He was an asshole hell bent on breaking me up with Mikey. Or at least making me cheat on him. It wasn’t going to fucking happen.

I pulled my jeans from last night on, as well as my Docs. Then I pulled on Jack Daniels t-shirt and picked up my bag. I had taken all of the spare clothes and other things I needed down to my car already. I just needed to retrieve Daphne and I’d be ready to go.

I knocked twice on Capris’ door but didn’t expect an answer. I knew she preferred to spend her one-night stands at her partner’s place, and it was eight in the morning so I knew she wouldn’t be awake yet let alone at home.

When there was no answer, I pulled out my spare key and unlocked the door. Capris’ apartment was a mess, and for a moment I was worried that Daphne was somewhere buried under a pile of laundry.

I heard the bell on her collar jingle and made my way to the kitchen where she was sat next to her food bowl. I smiled down at my kitty who abandoned her post to come and glide herself along my leg as a way of greeting.

I reached down to scratch under her chin and she pushed her head into my hand, doing that cute thing where cats close their eyes and do that little half smile. I grinned before reaching for her container of dry food on the counter.

She sat beside her bowl as she heard the container open and her food begin to roll around in the box. I poured a small amount in her bowl and let her eat. An hour later of allowing me to pet her while she ate, I cleaned her empty bowl before I put everything into the box of her stuff that I’d given Capris to borrow.

I walked around the apartment, gathering Daphne’s bed and various toys, shoving them all into the box. I cleaned and emptied out her litterbox, placing that into the box of cat crap, too. Then I found her carry cage and helped her inside, locking the door. Daphne looked curiously out the door and meowed as I picked her and the box up.

I locked Capris’ door behind me before making my way down to my car. I sent her a quick ‘you’re free of the supposed demon’ text before I unlocked my car. Daphne was meowing up a storm as I placed her in the front passenger seat. She didn’t shut up until I turned my key and the engine began.

I flipped the radio station to Jazz, because even though that _skippy-skop-scoop-bop-bop_ crap pissed me the fuck off, it was the only kind of music that kept Daphne from scratching a hole through her travel case and escaping.

I had never figured out why Jazz music seemed to calm her down, but it always had, so I didn’t ask questions.

When we made it to Mikey’s apartment, I was ready to put a bullet in my brain rather than listen to that awful genre anymore. Daphne had calmed down and was sleeping in her carry case.

I managed to lug everything up to Mikey’s apartment even though I knew he wasn’t home. He’d probably stayed the night in the office because he told me had that much work to do.

Whatever.

I set up Daphne’s bowl in the kitchen, her bed in the corner of the living room, and her litterbox the bathroom. Then I let Daphne out of her travel case. She’d been woken up by the new smells in the apartment. I pulled her out of the case and held her in my arms, walking around to show her where everything was. Then I pressed a kiss to the top of her head before she jumped from my arms and settled on the sofa.

She curled up in a patch of sunlight and I smiled. She would have time to explore later. I grabbed my keys again and went down to my car. I needed to go and find out if anything happened on the stakeout.

Being able to change the station from that horrible jazz was the best feeling in the world. I pulled Jax’s address from my ashtray and analyzed it before putting my car into gear.

The building that I arrived at was just a nondescript concrete warehouse. It looked to be two stories with windows only appearing on the top floor. It was an odd-looking building, especially as it was in the middle of a fairly busy part of town. There was an old banner that had fallen down and was now hanging from one window.

I could barely make out the faded words ‘Fall Festival ‘16 Coming Soon’. It didn’t give me any indication of what the building housed or who owned it. I spotted the stakeout car parked a little way down the street.

I circled around and pulled up behind them before getting out and shoving myself into their backseat – it was a good thing I wasn’t in a uniform. I slammed the door as I got in, which jolted one of the officers awake.

I scowled at him, to which he just shrugged and gave me an unapologetic smile.

“Status report,” I said. The deputy behind the wheel still had his eyes trained on the building.

“No person, or vehicle, has come or gone in the last fifteen hours. The place has looked deserted. No lights on last night, I’m pretty skeptical that anyone is inside at all,” he said. I frowned but nodded.

My head was starting to pound from all the alcohol I’d had to drink last night. I needed coffee, asap. I swiped a hand over my eyes.

“Alright, well the source who gave me the address is pretty questionable. I think, just continue until twenty-four hours of observation is up and we’ll see what to do from there with your report,” I said. I turned to the officer asleep on the job. “Do I need to call in reinforcements or can you stay awake?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.”

I gave him a stern look. “Really? Because I have no problems reporting back to Wells that you weren’t doing your job to the best of your ability.”

The kid sighed, looking stricken. “No, it’s okay. I won’t fall sleep again, it was just a momentary lapse.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it this time. But if I find out that it happens again, I’ll break into your house and cut your balls off in your sleep.” I watched the kid swallow deeply as his eyes widened. He nodded mutely but emphatically and I nodded my head once.

“Good. I’ll call back when the twenty-four hours are up and we’ll make other plans.”

With that, I checked my surroundings and ducked out of the car. When I was back in the safety of my own car, I got out of there and went straight to the nearest café. I needed like five espressos to get through the rest of the day.

Inside the café, I fell into one of the chairs, surrounded by many college students with headphones stuck in their ears, laptops open in front of them, and three coffee cups laying around them. Each of them wore sweatpants with unwashed hair – and possibly bodies – and matching looks of despair.

I grinned to myself. I definitely knew what they were going through.

I listened to the Barista call my name and went to get my drink from him. He was dressed in stereotypical small-café-barista style, that is to say, as a hipster. He had round edged glasses that I’m sure weren’t prescription, and the god awful man-bun to match. The sleeves of his denim button up were rolled to the elbows, and he was wearing chinos. My eyes fell to the floor and I saw he was even wearing boat shoes – they seemed like the wrong choice for someone working around hot liquids that spill, but that was his prerogative, I guess.

I took my two giant coffee cups from him and smiled before walking back to my seat. I almost wanted to slump over my table and catch a couple of extra z’s just to make the throbbing in my brain stop. It felt like my brain was having a punching competition with my skull – and losing.

My eyes were closed as my lips found the lid of my drink. I gagged slightly as I choked on the hot liquid after it burned my tongue. A nearby chuckle made my eyes fly open. Sitting across from me was a small brown skinned woman.

“It’ll cool faster if you take the lid off,” she said.

I fought to narrow my eyes at her. I’d seen her just yesterday, but even then, it had only been the back of her head. Coraline Knight had grown into quite a woman.

While she still looked eerily similar to the girl that I’d been aware of in high school, Coraline had definitely been through some shit. She was wearing a simple tank top and jeans with her hair hanging naturally over her back and shoulders. Small strands of it had been braided with beads and feathers.

She smiled at me and I took her advice, removing the lid from my drink and allowing the steam to rise. “Let me guess,” she laughed. “You’re currently paying for last night’s decisions?”

My lip quirked. “How’d you know?”

Coraline grinned. “It’s a mix of things. The disheveled clothes, the bags under your eyes and the fact you look like a zombie. Then there’s the expression on your face – a mix of regret and nausea. I work in a bar, and trust me when I say that I am no stranger to that look you’re sporting.”

I chuckled. I watched as Coraline picked up one of the small squares of complimentary chocolate from the table. As she raised her arm and popped it into her mouth slowly, my eyes narrowed on a visible scar on her bicep. My initial thought was that it was a tattoo, but closer inspection showed that the pink skin was from something different.

I’d seen scars like that come from knife wounds, but hers was oddly shaped and her arm lowered before I could figure out what it was.

“I’m Cora, by the way,” she said. I nodded. I knew who she was.

“Everly,” I nodded. “I remember you from school, and plus, it’s a little hard not to know the family and friends of every biker and town. Gotta keep tabs on you, you know?”

Cora grinned. “So, you _are_ a cop?” she chuckled. “Jax didn’t really say but I kind of guessed.”

I frowned, raising an eyebrow. I fought the scowl wanting to form on my lips at the mention of his name. Cora just chuckled.

“All the cops around here look like they’ve got sticks shoved up their asses,” she said. “And you don’t exactly scream _laid back_. Plus, I saw your badge on your hip when you walked in.”

I frowned at the woman.

“So,” she said, “You’re probably wondering why I’m here?”

I raised my eyebrow at her and she grinned, shrugging slightly.

“Jax came around to my house last night and crashed. He seemed frustrated and a little bit drunk. I kinda thought maybe you knew something about what happened…” she trailed off. “Jax just seems kind of attached to you.”

I watched as her eyes trailed down to my neck before flipping back up to my eyes with a smirk. I was overcome with the urge to drive to Jax’s workshop and stab him. Guess it was time to reapply my concealer.

“My boyfriend wasn’t too happy about him sleeping on our couch, but he got over it,” she continued. I shrugged.

“He was in Lorida last night. He brought me home from a bar when I got a little messy but then he left. He was sober at the time because I never would have let him drive under the influence,” I said. Coraline nodded slyly.

“I get it,” she said, nodding at my neck. “I get horny when I drink Tequila.”

My jaw wanted to drop to the floor. “I didn’t sleep with him if that’s what you’re insinuating,” I said. “I kicked him out when he got handsy. Besides, I have a boyfriend.”

Cora’s eyebrows shot up. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. Jax just usually doesn’t drink unless he’s just gotten laid.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. She frowned with a sigh.

“I’m an idiot, sorry. Gage always says that my big mouth is going to get me in trouble. I have perpetual foot-in-mouth disease,” she tried. I waved her off. Cora sighed.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I just want to be clear that there’s nothing going on between me and Jacob.”

Cora nodded, but I knew she didn’t believe me. All girls knew what fresh hickey’s looked like, and if she’d seen mine then it would be obvious to her that I’d gotten it only last night. She would’ve guessed that my boyfriend wasn’t with me last night, so it would only be logical for her to assume I got it from Jax.

I wanted to murder him.

I sighed and shook my head, gathering my things. “Look, I should get back to work,” I said. Coraline frowned but nodded.

I stood up and made for the door, but she grabbed onto my arm as I passed her.

“Hey, I know you’re from out of town, so, if you need any friends while you’re here, I’m happy to oblige,” she said with a smile. Every fiber of my being wanted to shoot her down.

As a good cop, I knew that becoming friends with a girl who was so inextricably tied to an outlaw motorcycle gang probably wasn’t a good idea. But she was sending me big brown puppy dog eyes and I could feel my resolve breaking down.

Despite the topic of our conversation, I’d found Coraline easy to talk to. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I hung out with her once or twice.

“I’ll think about it,” I nodded. Coraline grinned happily at me and let go of my arm with a nod.

“Alright, that’s good enough for me,” she grinned. “See you around then, Detective.” She gave me a mock salute before I nodded with a clipped smile and turned for the door.

.

**I couldn’t resist not having Cora and Gage in this book, sue me.**


	8. 7

#  **CHAPTER SEVEN**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

Mikey grunted above me. As I looked up, I could see that his eyes were closed and his hands were clenched in the sheets beside him. He was sitting with his legs over the side of the bed.

I was currently on my knees between said legs.

I hollowed out my cheeks as my tongue ran up the base of his length before enclosing around his bulbous head. My boyfriend let out a low guttural noise as my tongue laved over his slit before I sucked hard on the tip.

A small breath hissed through Mikey’s teeth as one of his hands raised and fell to my head, guiding me forward. A whimper surged through my lips when he bobbed me too far forward and my gag reflex protested.

I wanted to reach below me and flick my clit to make myself feel some kind of pleasure through this, but every time I tried, Mikey just pushed my hand away with his foot. Then he would guide me back to his cock. I had one hand wrapped around him and he liked me to cradle his balls with the other.

I rolled them between my fingertips, which made Mikey’s hips twitch upwards with the want to thrust. His wet cock slid from my mouth as I took a breath. I hitched my other hand, stroking him as I slid my tongue down his length and to his base where his cock met his balls.

I sucked on that part of his skin, knowing it was sensitive. Mikey groaned and his hips thrust, making my hand slip from his wet cock and making it slap me on the side of my face. I heard a text tone as I wrapped my hand back around his length and brought my mouth to his balls, sucking one into my mouth.

I heard his small intake of breath as I rolled it gently between my teeth before moving to the other one.

“ _Unghhh_ , fuck,” he groaned. My hand squeezed his shaft gently, stroking it up and down as I played with his balls. I heard him grunt from above me before his hand left my head and I heard the unmistakable sound of his thumbs replying to his text.

I rolled my eyes with a glare and slightly bit into his testicle. Mikey hissed and tugged on my hair harshly, pulling my mouth from his balls and back up to his dick. I suppressed a scowl at feeling used. And I had every right to feel annoyed with him, he was texting while receiving head for god’s sake.

A blow job is supposed to be a privilege and you’re supposed to be thankful for it. god knows I would be. I hadn’t gotten any head for months.

I roved my lips back over his tip, sucking on the mushroom head with fervor. I heard his thumbs stop tapping as he grunted and his hips jerked, pushing his shaft further into my mouth.

I squeezed his base tightly before loosening and stroking. Mikey abandoned his phone before both of his hands flew to my head and coaxed me into moving.

“Yes, fuck, right there.” He let out a guttural moan above me before I felt his hips jerk and his balls tighten in my hand.

Then a warm jet spurted down my throat and I tried not to gag. Mikey kept moving my head, his grip on my hair was somewhat bruising. He rolled his hips and used my mouth as his own personal fortress of pleasure. Tears sprung to my eyes at my want to bring a finger to my clit, to give myself some kind of release from pent up feelings.

But before I could make any such move, Mikey’s hands fell from my hair as he collapsed on his back on the bed. His cock fell from my lips, bouncing limply onto his midsection. I frowned as I watched his chest rise and fall with heavy breaths. My knees burned from their place on the carpet, so I stood up. My boyfriend had one hand on his length, palming himself as his thumb pressed and stroked over his sensitive slit. His other hand was on his phone again, scrolling through whatever ‘important’ text conversation he’d been having two minutes ago.

I wiped haphazardly at the tears in my eyes. Mikey didn’t even give me a second glance as I turned away from him and walked to the bathroom. I closed the door quietly before looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess, but nothing that a quick shower wouldn’t fix. My lips were red and swollen and my eyes were wide and watery with unshed tears.

I turned my head slightly to admire the healing skin on my neck. Jax’s mark was almost completely gone now, and it was light enough that if someone were to ask questions, I could blame it on an acne flare up or something similar.

I turned the handles in the shower and stripped out of my clothes. Just as I was about to step under the spray, I heard the front door slam. I scowled and got under the falling water. I would wash away my disappointment in my useless boyfriend who had just ditched me in his own apartment.

_He’s just been called in early to work_ , I tried to tell myself. But, even I knew that that excuse was becoming old. Mikey wasn’t a detective, he was below me in rank which meant that he should have had less working hours than me. I shook my head, ignoring my suspicions as I brought shampoo to my neglected hair.

.

I sighed as I pushed my car into park outside the building that I’d had surveilled. It was as decrepit as I’d remembered it had been two days ago. I was glad I’d come in an unmarked undercover car. My own car had been seen twice outside this building already so it was probably best that I stay as inconspicuous as possible.

After I’d had the place staked out for twenty-four hours, the team had come back with no new evidence, and _Scotty_ was still incommunicado. So, I was taking matters into my own damn hands.

Police records of the building showed that it had not been inhabited in over two years, and an ownership lease was nowhere to be found. If it came down to it and someone reported my breaking and entering, I could plead that the place was a known drug den or something. Of course, I wouldn’t actually know if it was until I got inside, but I guess there was only one way to find out.

I headed out of my car, badge around my neck, and flashlight and gun in hands. I walked slowly around to the back of the building. These blockish concrete places always had a service entrance because they were mostly used for factory storage and such.

I finally found a door, but it was deadbolted. I brought my picks from my back pocket and quickly got it open, ignoring the ‘trespassers will be prosecuted’ signage all over the door.

I shouldered it open, carrying my gun and flashlight and holding it up. I readied my apprehensive stance and slipped inside. First impression: dark. Second impression: empty.

The place was deserted. My suspicions were confirmed as I was welcomed to an empty storage room. The floor was lined with large metal scaffolds that were no doubt used to store boxes for a shipping company or something. The rows upon rows of scaffolds were completely bare.

It was like if you went to the bottom floor of an IKEA, except that there was no stock in the aisles.

I eyed a staircase in the far corner which led to another closed door. I nodded to myself and quietly made my way over. I climbed the stairs two at a time before quietly turning the handle on the door. It led to another staircase and I followed it up to the second floor.

This one was just as empty.

There were a few loose papers scattered across the floor. This seemed to be the top floor of the building. The hair on my arms was raised as I felt something was off. I had learnt to trust my gut in these instances.

My ears pricked as I heard a slight step behind me and I whirled. I cocked my gun and pointed it blank at the person who had appeared behind me. I raised an eyebrow as he grinned at me. I glared but then lowered my gun from where I’d had it raised at his shiny leather jacket.

His blond hair seemed dull in the suppressed light filtering through the windows. His eyebrow piercing somehow still managed to catch the light and sparkle as he moved.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded. “Are you following me?”

Jax just smirked. I was rethinking my decision to lower my gun.

He took a step forward and I took one back. He watched our exchange with interest before he shoved both hands into his pockets. Then he cocked his eyebrow at me, making his piercing dance.

“Why are you sneaking into buildings without warrants, dollface?”

I glared at him, considering how much he really needed to know. He was the one who had given me the address for this place so he must have known why I was here.

“Official police business.”

Jax chuckled. “Really? Because I think you’ll find most people call it _breaking and entering_.”

I glared at him but he just continued smirking. I considered my options, but knew he’d take none of my passive aggressive suggestions to leave.

“Why are you here?”

Jax shrugged. “Nothing better to do,” he said. “But there’s no point in kicking me out, I’ll just cause a scene. So, let’s save ourselves the drama and how’s about you just include me in whatever it is you’re doing here?”

I scowled. Jax just smirked.

“Are you forgetting who tipped you off about this building in the first place?”

I sighed and shook my head in annoyance. “Fine, you can stay. But if you get in the way, I’ll kick you so hard in the crotch that your balls will never again descend.”

Jax raised his hands in surrender, grinning with his palms up. “Scouts honor, doll.” I scowled at him and walked away. There was a sleeping bag in a corner of the room that had caught my eye when Jax had made himself known.

I stalked my way over to the makeshift bed, crouching down. I pulled a glove from my back pocket and shoved it on my hand. Then I rifled through the things there. Besides the sleeping bag, there was an old white shirt with a few cigarettes burns and there were a few oatmeal bar wrappers.

Besides that, I came up with nothing. I sighed and stood up. My eyes widened when I realized that my back had brushed up against my unwelcome visitor. Then I scowled when I felt his hand come up and squeeze my ass.

I whipped myself around and pushed his chest with flat palms. I glared at him.

“What the fuck gives you the right to put your hands on me,” I demanded. Jax just grinned.

“C’mon, babe. I know you had fun the other night.”

My lips were pursed as I sent him my best stink eye.

“You will keep your fucking hands to yourself, pervert. That night was a lapse in judgement and you were taking advantage of an extremely drunk woman.”

Jax just shrugged. I wished I had something hard that I could throw at his head. He was a pig.

“I don’t know about that, doll. I’d say you were pretty happy to be there.”

I glared. “Watch yourself, Jackson. I have no qualms about arresting you for sexual harassment.” Jax just chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

“Fine,” he said, before making a show of sticking his hands back in his pockets. I glared but then turned and crouched back down to the floor. I pulled a few evidence baggies from my pocket before taking the food wrappers and t-shirt. I left the sleeping bag because I didn’t have anything big enough for it. Then I snapped a few photos with my phone.

When I stood up and turned back to Jax, he was playing with a lighter in his hands. He was flicking it on and off as he waited for me.

“So, where is he?” I asked. Jax looked up and cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Who?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t play dumb. You’re the one who said Phillips was here, and right after you told me, I had this place on surveillance. He obviously skipped before the cops got here, and I’d bet a million dollars that it’s because he got spooked,” I said, eyeing him, “Or he got informed that the place would be under watch.”

Jax grinned.

“You accusing me of something, doll?”

“Not technically,” I glared, “But it does seem circumstantial, does it not?”

Jax just shrugged, smirking. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

“Fine. I don’t need your help anyway,” I said, then I stormed from the room. I made my way down the stairs and onto the factory floor. Jax was on my tail as I made my way for the back entrance. I ignored his slight protests and pleas for me to turn around and talk to him.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as I made it to the door. I pulled it out, thinking it was a message from Chief Wells, or even from Mikey as an explanation for why he ditched me this morning.

It wasn’t.

Instead it was a message from my father, which gave me a whole other reason to be pissed off.

**Your mother and I found out that you’re staying in town for a while. We would like to invite you and Michael to dinner tonight. 7pm. –Touma Shimura**

I scowled and closed my phone. Dinner with my parents was the last thing I wanted to do.

“Trouble in paradise?” Jax taunted, watching the glare flare up in my eyes.

“None of your business.” My voice felt defensive and Jax narrowed his eyes at me.

“Hmm, no. If it were your boyfriend you wouldn’t look this conflicted.”

I turned away from Jax, moving to walk away but his long legs compared to mine caught him up quickly.

“It was your dad, wasn’t it?”

I refused to look at him. He always could read me like an open book. Maybe he should have been the detective. I pulled my car keys from my pocket and hauled open my car door.

“Drop it,” I said to him, before I fell into my seat. I tried to slam the door, but Jax had a hand on it. I looked up at him with a glare, only to see that he had a sympathetic frown plastered across his features. Our eyes connected for a moment and we exchanged in silence.

Then Jax let the door go and I felt it slam beside me. I turned to my wheel and sped out of the space, leaving a cross-armed biker in my dust. I watched him get smaller in my rear-vision mirror as drove away until I turned a corner and couldn’t see him anymore.

I had to get this evidence to lock-up, and I needed to figure out what I was going to do about dinner with my parents.

.

**Tension. We stan.**


	9. 8

#  **CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Everly**

I played with the hem of my shirt as Mikey parked in my parents’ driveway. They lived in a one-story ranch style house that had been renovated to fit my father’s beloved culture. It looked extremely out of place in suburban Florida.

The house itself had been modified to incorporate more concrete and steel, bringing an industrial modern look to the house. The garden façade had been ripped out and my father had replaced it with cobblestones, bamboo, water features and a koi pond. The grass was incredibly green for the weather, so I knew he’d had the sprinkler hose on the lawn for weeks.

The garden flourished under the shade of the large tree in the neighbor’s yard, which I’m sure was planned perfectly by my father. I looked over at Mikey as he turned off the car engine. He gave me a small smile and reached for my hand, squeezing it.

Our touch only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away and rose from his seat. I sighed when I felt his door slam and I was left in silence. I contemplated locking the doors and refusing to come out.

I didn’t know why I had agreed to dinner with my parents, but I was definitely regretting it. I heaved a large breath into my lungs as I watched Mikey round the back of the car and stop outside my door. For a moment, I thought he was going to open it for me, like the gentleman that he’d been on our first date.

I frowned. No such luck.

I had no idea what was happening between us, but surely, I wasn’t the only one who could sense that something was wrong, was I?

I opened my door, letting it fall shut softly behind me with a sure ‘click’. Mikey looked up from where he’d been staring at his phone. He let it fall into his pocket before he reached for my hand. Then he pulled us up the cobblestoned drive to the giant wooden front door.

The doorbell sounded with the whimsy of wind chimes. I cringed. Could they be any more pretentious if they tried? Mikey and I stood in silence while we waited to be greeted, and sure enough, not a minute later the door was pulled open to reveal a grey-haired woman with her skin pulled tight over her cheekbones.

She sent me a warm smile.

“Evie, I’m so glad you came,” my mother gushed. “Never mind that you’re late, please come inside.”

I resisted rolling my eyes. God forbid we arrive at 7:02pm instead of the agreed upon 7pm.

My mother stepped back and I watched as Mikey leant down to kiss the woman’s cheek. When she turned to me, I gave her a slight nod. I ignored the way her face fell slightly before I heard a voice beckoning us from the dining room.

I looked around the entrance way. There were no family photos or trinkets or any evidence that the place was actually a home. My father was an incredibly pompous man. The whole house resembled that of a very cold and fancy museum. The only thing missing might have been the passive aggressive ‘you may look but please don’t touch’ signs.

Mikey and I both took our shoes off at the door and placed on our house slippers, then padded after my mother. My father was waiting in the dining room. He sat at a low, square table. Each side had a low, very uncomfortable cushion for each of us to sit on.

My father wore a clean suit. What dark hair he had left was combed and styled neatly with gel to look slick and proper. His suit didn’t have a single wrinkle and his posture was straighter than a ruler.

I watched as his eyes roved over my attire. His jaw ticked with the hint of a scowl of disapproval. I hid my smirk: small victories. I had worn the clothes that I’d worn to work on purpose; an old Van Halen t-shirt beneath a dark green and navy-blue flannel, and a pair of old jeans that had no less than four holes in them.

Mikey was dressed considerably better than me in a pair of dress pants, button down and tie. I hadn’t even bothered to brush my hair, whereas I’d watched Mikey spend more than thirty minutes on his.

I watched as my mother took her seat beside my father and look expectantly up at my boyfriend and I.

“Etsuko,” my father drawled. “So nice of you to finally accept our dinner invitation.”

I tried not to scowl at his use of my birth name. I hated it. I was glad that I’d been given the opportunity to change it when we had immigrated here, to my mother’s birth country, twenty years ago.

“I guess I was sick of receiving your messages for the past six months, _Touma_ ,” I said. I watched my father’s eyes harden. In his culture, it was often seen as disrespectful for a child to call their parent by their given name.

“Please, sit,” he said, motioning towards the last cushion. I descended gracefully. My mother then began removing all of the lids from the dishes laid on the table. She had prepared _okonomiyaki_ , which is a veggie patty cooked in a griddle; _yakitori_ , a Japanese brochette of vegetables and meats; and lastly, _toshikoshi_ _soba_ , a vegetable and ramen soup.

There was also a small serving of rice at each person’s place. The four of us then held hands and each thanked my mother for preparing the meal.

“Itadakimasu.”

In silence, I picked up my chopsticks and reached for a patty and a kebab, placing them on my side plate, then served some ramen soup into my bowl.

My mother caught my eye as I was about to begin eating. She held a look of disapproval and I looked down at my servings, rolling my eyes. I could hear her voice from my childhood ringing in my head.

 _Small servings, Evie. You gained two pounds already last month, we don’t want to make it three, do we?_ Never mind I was only eleven years old and weight gain is normal.

 _Take slower bites, Everly. Your stomach will think that it is full. Sixty chews per bite, we need you to fit into that dress we bought last week._ Never mind that that dress you bought was already two sizes too small.

 _Fat girls don’t get asked to Prom, Etsuko. If you want to get a date, no dessert._ Never mind that I already had a date to Prom, you just hated him.

Yeah, mom, well you know what? You were to blame for my body dysmorphia and your constant judgement totally did wonders for my self-esteem and totally didn’t cause me to have an eating disorder at fourteen.

I decided to ignore her judgmental gaze and took a bite of my kebab. The four of us ate in silence. I didn’t know the reason that my parents had asked us to eat with them tonight, but I didn’t have anything to say to them.

The infrequent clinks of utensils scraping against bowls was our only symphony for this meal. I ate slowly, savoring the food. I may not have been the biggest fan of my parents, but my mother was a damn good cook. When I finished, I laid my chopsticks neatly by my plate and sat whilst everyone else finished.

My mother then cleared the table, taking bowls with her to the kitchen before coming back with new plates and dishes. She laid out a spread of Mont Blanc, a puree of sweetened chestnuts with whipped cream in the shape of a mountain; Mochi, sticky rice dumpling; and Dango, another kind of dumpling served on a skewer with green tea.

I placed a few Mochi on my plate but that was it. I wasn’t a fan of any of the rest.

“Etsuko, how are your… _friends_?” my father asked before I could take a bite of my dessert. I resisted the scowl on my face. I knew he was referring to Capris. He wasn’t her biggest fan.

“Capris? She’s good. She’s started teaching chemistry on top of her biology classes.”

My father nodded, the hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

“I heard that she was seen leaving the Dorsey apartment building over the weekend.”

I frowned, shrugging. “So?”

My father gave me a smile. “Doesn’t the principal of her school live in the Dorsey building?” he asked innocently. I gripped my chopsticks like they were weapons. I knew what he was implying.

Before I could fling my utensil towards my father’s neck and cost him his life for suggesting that my best friend was some kind of whore sleeping with higher-ups for a pay raise or whatever the fuck else, my mother cut in.

“So, Michael,” my mother started, “How is work?”

Mikey looked up from his green tea with a smile. “Work is good. I was on highway patrol yesterday. Nothing really happened and I didn’t have to arrest anyone, so that was a good sign that the town is doing well.”

I resisted rolling my eyes.

“Well that’s good, Michael. I’m glad you’re keeping the town safe. There are so many policemen in the town now that I think it would be hard to find any kind of crime.”

My mouth was set in a hard line.

“Actually, that’s not quite true,” Mikey said, turning to me. “Ev is working on this big drug case at the moment about these kids from the MC.”

I resisted my cringe. My mother scoffed. “Oh, I don’t like those bikers. They’re smelly and rude, and their engines keep me up at night when they do their drag racing in the street. They have no care for the safety of the people in this town.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but instead I just played with the food in my bowl, poking holes in my mochi with my chopsticks.

“Can’t you do anything about them, Michael?” my mother asked. Mikey shrugged beside me.

“Not really. They have as much right to be in this town as anyone. The most we can do is lock them up when they break the law,” he said.

My mother frowned. “Well I still don’t like it. They’re a bunch of no good drug dealers and gun smugglers.”

I wanted to laugh. It had only just hit me how similar my hate for the MC seemed. But while my mother hated them for their public disturbance, I hated them for the actions of one particular asshole member. But, either way, our outward disdain was almost identical.

I guess I picked up more prejudice from her than I originally thought. I guess it’s true what they say, your peers have the biggest influence on your world view.

The room fell back into silence for a moment before my father spoke.

“I spoke to Nancy Heller the other day.” I looked up from my plate, narrowing my eyes at my father. Nancy Heller went to med school with me. From what I knew, she was a registered nurse now.

“She was saying how unfortunate it is that so many wonderful nurses have retired in the past year. They’re really struggling for staff down at the hospital.” His voice was suggestive, and I hated that tone.

I scowled, dropping my chopsticks in my bowl, making a loud crash. Everyone at the table jumped.

“So, that’s it then?” I asked. My father had the decency to at least look shocked at my sudden outburst.

“What’s it?” he asked, looking dumbfounded. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

“Really? We’re gonna play that game?” My voice sounded shrill in my ears. My parents looked confused and Mikey was sitting silently with his head bowed and his hands in his lap. He knew dinner was over.

“What game?”

I let out a loud sigh, standing up from the table and pointing an accusing finger at my father. “ChiChi, you need to accept that I didn’t become a doctor because I didn’t want to be one. I am a detective now, and a damn good one at that. If you can’t handle that, and support your daughter in her career choices, then I see no reason to continue this dinner with you.”

My father had the audacity to look like this was the first time I’d ever said these words to him. I rolled my eyes with a scoff, moving to storm from the room. Mikey rose from his seat beside me. I turned to my mom.

“Thank you for dinner, Momma, it was delicious.” Then I walked out, stopping only to swap my slippers for real shoes before making my way to the car. I heard my boyfriend mutter a quick, ‘Thank you for the meal and your hospitality, Mr and Mrs Shimura.’

Two minutes later, we were speeding back to my boyfriend’s apartment and I was trying not to explode with anger. I needed to let off some steam, and right now sex seemed like my best bet.

.

Two days later and I was still fuming about my dinner with my parents.

“It’s like, they don’t even care about who I am, all they care about is who they want me to be, you know?” I vented. I scowled, scooping a spoonful of Tyler’s homemade Triple Chocolate ice cream with Cookie Dough and Brownie Chunks.

Tyler nodded, sprinkling some crushed nuts on the top of someone’s sundae.

“Like, it’s like they have two daughters. First there’s me, the fat cop screwup who disappoints her parents with every step she takes, then there’s the other me. You know? There’s the one that they really want me to be, the rich anorexic doctor who saves lives and never sleeps and never has a social life. As far as I’m concerned, the only part of my life that they’re satisfied with is my relationship with Mikey.”

Tyler didn’t say anything, just gave me a sympathetic smile as he exchanged ice cream for money from the kids standing beside me. I rolled my eyes and took another spoonful from my bowl. The bar stool I was sat on was tall enough that my short legs didn’t touch the floor, so my feet were swinging like a five-year-old.

“I don’t know what to tell you, E. They’re just being their normal asshole selves,” Ty said. I sighed, nodding.

“I know, but you should have heard what they were saying about Capris. And about the MC and how the police aren’t doing enough to stop them. They basically sat there and shat all over my profession and my friends.”

Ty laughed.

“And being a cop is just as good as being a fucking doctor,” I vented. “I mean, I put bad guys in jail for god’s sake. That should be good enough for them.”

Tyler grinned. “I know. I can’t imagine what it would be like if my parents were like that. I mean, all I do is serve ice cream.”

“Hey,” I said, pointing my spoon at him. “You’re a doing a public service. Your ice cream is the best in the county and I won’t have a bad word said about it.”

Ty laughed, then I watched as his eyes caught on something behind me. The smile in his eyes dimmed slightly and I watched him close off. I frowned.

I heard the bells on the door chime as someone walked in. I felt a pair of arms enclose around my waist and smiled as I recognized Mikey’s cologne. I smiled and turned my head to catch my lips with his.

“What are you doing here?” I asked with a smile. “I thought you were working tonight.”

Mikey faltered slightly. “Oh, uhm… Chief let me off early, something about me working too much for the pay they’re giving me.”

I frowned. “Oh, okay. How did you know I was here?”

Mikey paused for a second and I watched his eyes flick quickly to something behind me, then back. “Oh, you know, just a good guess,” he said. “You always come for a dairy fix after seeing your parents.”

I smiled, nodding. “Oh, okay.” I felt like he was hiding something from me, but I didn’t know what. And I didn’t like that feeling. I shrugged, plastering a smile on my face as he took a seat beside me.

Tyler handed him a bowl of Vanilla Bean and we both tucked into our decadent desserts. I’d ask him about whatever was bothering him later.

“So, anyway. They’re total assholes,” I continued. Tyler just smiled.

“Complete assholes,” he agreed.

.

**So, now we’ve met Everly’s parents. How do we feel about them?**


	10. 9

#  **CHAPTER NINE**

**Everly**

“Bank statements, social media, home address… all of them haven’t been touched since he was released.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as Imogen went over the details of my case. It was dark outside, which meant that I’d been sat at my desk for over fifteen hours just today. I had woken up with a goal of not moving until something new presented itself.

I’d had no such luck.

“What about family members or friends?” Imogen asked. I frowned and shook my head.

“Orphaned at birth. He was in and out of foster care until he ran away at fourteen. Picked up twice after that for driving without a permit and then shoplifting. As for friends, it seems that the only people he was close to were Hale and some guys from the MC, no doubt the ones he worked with at the auto shop.”

Imogen cursed and crossed something off her notepad.

“And none of the MC will talk?”

I chuckled. “Not a chance. I’ve spoken with a few, just to be able to say I tried, but they’re giving us nothing. The most they’ve helped out was Jax’s tip about the abandoned building.”

“And nothing from the other kid?”

I shook my head. “One parent, she hasn’t seen him in months so my guess is he ran away long before he was arrested. He had no job – well, no legitimate one anyway – and no friends besides Phillips.”

Imogen began chewing on the cap of her pen.

“But, I managed to get one of my informants to give me a little more info on him. According to her, Hale had been running drugs for a while, mostly just Molly. This cocaine run was his first big job. Phillips too, it seems,” I said.

Imogen nodded.

“Who’s your informant?”

I sighed. “I can’t give her up, my tight lips are the only thing keeping her in my employ.”

Imogen was silent for a while. She walked over to our whiteboard. It was covered in case details and mostly just looked like a giant brainstorm picture that you’d see in a sixth-grade girl’s notebook… only, it was about drugs. All it was missing was some little cartoon hearts over the lower-case i’s.

She began adding a few notes about family members and peers that weren’t there before. I was growing so tired of this case, it was supposed to be open and shut and I should’ve been back in Lorida by now.

Instead, I was going to make sure that the dickhead temp who let my criminals free was going to be fired and given the worst recommendation in the world, I’m talking bad enough that he’d never be hired anywhere ever again.

I let out a groan as my stomach grumbled. I guess people needed food to be able to keep working. I leaned forward and rested my head on my desk. I was getting nowhere with this case, but I wasn’t ready to give up on it yet. I didn’t need someone else like Paulson or Reynolds to come in here and solve my case for me.

That would surely put the final nails in my coffin.

“You seem more agitated than usual,” Imogen voiced. “This is the most frustrated I’ve seen you get over a case in a while. Something else going on that you wanna talk about?”

I looked up from my makeshift bed/police desk. I frowned.

“No, not really. I had dinner with my parents during the week and they never fail to remind me how much they think my job is a waste of time.”

Imogen scoffed, tossing her braided hair over her shoulder.

“And Mikey and I are having a few problems. Not that he looks up from his phone long enough to realize it, though.”

Imogen raised an eyebrow at that. “Elaborate.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, it just seems like lately he doesn’t even care that I’m around, he’s always distracted and on his phone.”

Imogen frowned. “You should nick it and go through it. I’d be making sure my man wasn’t getting ideas about texting other girls.”

I frowned. “You think that’s what it is? That he’s cheating?”

Imogen shrugged and before she could reply, I heard a door open behind me.

“Who’s cheating?” a familiar voice chimed. I turned around and grinned at my best friend. She was smiling and holding two bags of takeout in her hands.

“No one,” I said. “What did you bring?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. Capris never came to Okeechobee, she hated it here almost as much as me.

Capris scoffed. “Chinese. And damn, I was hoping you were saying you’d finally come to your senses and were getting a little somethin’ somethin’ on the side. We both know that Mikey’s not exactly a gold medalist between the sheets.”

I rolled my eyes at her and pawed through her bags. I found egg rolls and some sweet and sour pork. I grinned and dug in. Imogen scoured through the food right after me, I hadn’t realized how starved we’d been.

“No, she was saying how Mikey spends his whole life on his phone. She feels ignored.”

Capris gasped and grinned. “You should steal it and look for the skank he’s probably texting.”

Imogen laughed around her mouthful of satay lamb. “That’s what I said!”

I rolled my eyes at them. “You two are horrible, I’m not going to do that,” I laughed. “I know you guys aren’t his biggest fans but he’s a good guy and I trust him. He’s probably just addicted to some new game, I mean, you remember when he discovered _Angry Birds_?”

Imogen laughed, taking a seat on a desk. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. “How many days of work did he miss again?”

I chuckled. “Three in a row. The idiot almost got himself fired just for a new high score. Would you believe he was playing it even when we were in the middle of having sex?”

Capris laughed. “Yeah, that’d be right.”

“He even orgasmed when he killed all the pigs and got all the stars with just one bird.”

Imogen shook her head. “See now, that’s just wrong. Guy’s gotta learn to appreciate the woman between his legs.”

“Here, here!” Capris laughed. I rolled my eyes at my friends even though there was a grin stretched across my lips. While making jokes at Mikey’s expense always guaranteed a good laugh, I couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that maybe my best friends were right.

.

Hours later, I managed to stumble through Mikey’s front door. I was surprised to find the place was lit up. It was way past eleven, so I had assumed that Mikey would be in bed and I wouldn’t have to endure an awkward conversation.

But he was sitting on the couch holding an ice pack up to his face. My jaw dropped as I made my way over to him. He looked up with a grimace when I knelt beside him.

“Oh my god, what the hell happened to you?”

Mikey gave a small grunt. “It’s nothing, it’ll be gone by morning.”

I pulled the ice pack from his face so I could get a better look. His left eye was swollen shut, and the skin around it was turning black, blue and yellow. His eye was watering and it was mixed with blood. I scoffed.

“Like hell it will. Who did this to you?”

I pushed the ice pack back onto his eye, ignoring his wince of pain. He shrugged.

“No one.”

I glared at my boyfriend.

“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Ha, are you kidding me! Not a big fucking deal? Michael, you can’t even see out of that eye.”

Mikey shrugged and got up from the couch, pushing away the hand that I’d put on his shoulder.

“It’s nothing. I deserve it.” He walked to the bathroom.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What is that supposed to mean.” I followed him, crowding him in the small bathroom and blocking the doorway so he couldn’t get away. I would make him answer me.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. Look, just drop it, Everly.”

He shouldered past me gently before he took a seat on his bed.

“Well, at least tell me you know who it was so that you can press charges,” I said, my voice becoming pitchy – what can I say? I was frustrated. Mikey just shook his head.

“I’m not going to charge him.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Michael?”

He didn’t answer and I shook my head.

“Mikey, it’s assault! The asshole should be arrested.”

My boyfriend began to ignore me, instead he was busying his spare hand with getting ready to go to sleep. My hands balled into fists and he was making me cranky enough to want to blacken his good eye.

“At least tell me who it was,” I pleaded.

“You already know who it was,” he mumbled. I frowned.

“What the fuck does that mean? Why are you being so cryptic, just give me the jackass’ goddamn name!”

Mikey finally looked up and glared at me. I cringed when he dropped the ice pack so that I would have to look at his screwed-up eye.

“Look, Everly. We both know who it was, and we both know that I’m not going to say it. I’m not going to charge him, I just want this all to go away; so drop it.”

With that, he lay down and rolled over onto his side, facing away from me. I glared at his back.

“Fine,” I said. “Don’t tell me. But you’re delusional if you think I’m going to stay here tonight when you can’t even be straight with me.”

Mikey whirled around and glared at me.

“ _What?_ ” His voice was deep and menacing. I frowned.

“I just mean, we’re supposed to trust each other. That’s what you do in a relationship, Michael. If you’re not telling me who it is out of fear that I will go after them myself, then you’re an idiot. I respect the fact that you don’t want me going after this guy, and I wouldn’t because you have asked me not to. All I want to know is who it was and why they did it. I deserve to know why my boyfriend has come home with a black eye and a shit attitude.

“But, if you’re not willing to divulge that _simple_ information, then I’m out. I’ll be at Imogen’s if you decide to be a grown up and actually talk to me.”

I scowled as I turned on my heel and walked out. His face had been a mix of anger and shock as I ranted at him. I mean, for god’s sake, it wasn’t like I was asking for the crown jewels, I just wanted to know why my boyfriend had gotten the shit kicked out of him – or, well, _punched_ in the this case.

It wasn’t so ridiculous for me to feel this way. I deserved to know what happened. I slammed the front door behind me before I reached into my pocket and dialed for Imogen. She picked up on the third ring.

“Forget something at the station? Because, you know–”

“Can I stay at yours tonight?” I interrupted. Imogen fumbled on the other end of the line. I made it to my car and unlocked the door.

“Yeah, sure…? Is everything okay?”

I let out a sigh as I threw myself into the seat.

“I’ll tell you when I get there. Just walked in on a shitstorm over here. Had to get out of there before I said something stupid and ruined my relationship.”

Imogen paused.

“I’ll make up the couch and a pitcher of margaritas.”

“Better make that two pitchers.”

.

**Everly, Capris and Imogen are fast becoming my favorite friendship trio. All we need is to add Cora and we could have the most savage foursome on our hands.**


	11. 10

#  **CHAPTER TEN**

**Everly**

I sipped on my coffee as I drove on the main road into town. Imogen lived on the outskirts of town, she said it was nice and quiet being away from the hubbub and politics of Okeechobee.

I respected it. I mean, I hated it for the same reasons… among others.

My ear pricked when I heard the unmistakable rumble of an incoming motorcycle. I narrowed my eyes at the figure coming closer in front of me. I recognized that bike.

I looked down at the built-in speed monitor on my dashboard to clock in on the incoming vehicle. I grinned nastily at the number displayed on the screen, then drove across the empty median strip as the bike roared past me.

I quickly turned my car around and sped off after the rider, turning on my sirens and my lights. My car might not have been a patrol car, but I’d had it fitted with all the bells and whistles.

I watched as the rider looked over their shoulder at me before shaking their head and pulling off onto the emergency exit on their right. I parked in behind him and got out of the car, ticket book in hand.

“Problem, officer?” he voiced, not turning to look at me yet. I smirked when he took off his helmet and let his blond hair fall free.

“Are you aware of how fast you were going?”

I watched as Jax registered my voice before turning to face me with a grin of his own. He chuckled.

“Didn’t realize big shot detectives gave out speeding tickets. Are numbers so low at the precinct that they have you on beat cop duty? Or did you just get demoted?” he taunted. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him and instead chose to take the high road.

I flipped through my ticket book and began writing him up as I spoke. “None of the above. It’s just my duty as an active officer to give out a ticket to someone who I deem a dangerous and fast driver, especially when they’re going 40 over the limit.”

Jax chuckled. “I seem to remember you like going fast…”

I ignored him, instead ripping the ticket from the book and holding it out to him. “I see this is your third infringement in two weeks. Not so slick after all, huh?”

Jax folded the ticket into the front pocket of his leather jacket. He cocked his eyebrow, making his piercing dance. “Oh, baby, just give me a chance and I can show you just how slick I am.” He smirked and I rolled my eyes.

I held out my hand for his keys. “I assume you can find a ride back to your residence, Mr Jackson. I’ll be taking your bike to the impound lot.”

Jax looked down at my outstretched hand and laughed. Instead of handing over his keys – though it was my legal right to ask for them – he stood from his seat and invaded my personal space. He tilted his head down until we were eye to eye.

I tried to calm my heart, forcing myself to ignore the way he made me hold my breath.

“Like hell you will doll face, unless you want me to tell your boss that you’ve been entering buildings without warrants.”

My eyes widened and he stepped back, smirking evilly and crossing his arms over his chest.

“You wouldn’t…”

Jax grinned, tapping his chin.

“Hmm… I’m sure I could be persuaded not to talk. I’d just need some payment.”

I glared at him.

“How did you even find me that day. Were you following me to that warehouse?”

Jax shrugged. “The building is owned by the club, doll. We might look it but we’re not stupid. We’ve got cameras.”

“Shit.”

Jax grinned. He knew he’d backed me into a corner.

“Yeah, so maybe you wanna strike this ticket from my record before I strike that ass for making my dick hard on sight.”

I scoffed but watched as he handed the ticket back to me. I snatched it from his hand. “You’re disgusting,” I spat as I ripped the paper between my fingers.

Jax just grinned, swinging a leg over his bike and putting his helmet back on. “You love it,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you later babe, I’ve got other things to deal with. Tell your boyfriend hello for me. Maybe you two can both think of me while you get off this time.”

My nose scrunched in disgust as my hands balled at my sides.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Jax smirked. “Ask your boyfriend. He’s not the only one keeping secrets.”

Then, before I could ask any more questions, he fired up his bike, gave me a mock salute and sped off down the highway out of Okeechobee. I cursed and kicked at a loose piece of gravel beside the road. I stormed back to my car before driving to work in a cloud of rage.

.

I threw my bag down on the couch as I walked into Mikey’s apartment. He wasn’t home, exactly as I wanted it.

After I fight last night, I didn’t exactly have a burning desire to want to see him, but that didn’t change the fact that most of my things were here at his apartment.

My day had been fairly uneventful at work. Imogen was working a B&E and apparently my boyfriend was her secondary, so I wouldn’t see either of them. No one else at the precinct had bothered me all day, and yet I’d still made no headway on my case.

That warehouse – which now apparently was owned by the MC – was the only lead I had, and it hadn’t given me anything except a hatred for my boss for assigning me this ‘easy’ case.

I moved to the bathroom, past Daphne who was curled up on the couch, purring in her sleep. Stripping down, I let myself fall under the warm spray, letting it work out all of the knots in my back that had no doubt formed from my hunchback-like state as I had been working from my desk all day.

My eyes fell closed and I let my head go under the water, flattening the locks so they became like ink spreading across the white parchment of my skin. The water felt therapeutic. I sighed under the steady stream as my stress was alleviated for just this moment.

I screeched when I heard my curtain roughly pulled open. As my hands flew to cover myself up, I lost my balance and hit my head against the tiled wall. I winced and looked up at my intruder, and before any of my self defense police training could kick in, he grabbed my hand and handcuffed it to the shower rail.

He reached in and turned off the water as I could only stand there, barely covering myself as my mouth gaped open.

“Who the fuck are you?” I screeched. I reached for the shower curtain, wanting something to cover myself up, but the man ripped it from the rail and discarded it behind him. Then he stood back and stared at me. His eyes cast downwards, taking me in painstakingly slowly.

I scowled when his eyes reached mine and an appreciative smirk graced his lips.

His assessment of me had given me time for my own though. He was short and stocky, and Latino. His hair was dark and curly, his skin was a rich caramel brown, his eyes were tawny. He was wearing a pair of cargo jeans and a black buttoned shirt. I could see the handle of a gun peeking from his waistband.

He wore black gloves, and had a five o’clock shadow. His smirk allowed me to see that he was missing one of his front yellow teeth, and the other was a gold filling. He sneered at me.

“Consider this your first warning, _Detective_ ,” he said. “I wont be so kind again if you are to continue pursuing Scotty.”

My eyes widened. Despite the fact that I was naked and chained to my boyfriend’s shower, this was could be my first real lead. I made sure to commit the man’s features to memory so that I could describe him to a sketch artist. If I was lucky, he’d have a criminal record and I’d just be that much closer to finding my guy.

Before I could retort, the man turned around and kicked the shower curtain through the door, followed by my only towel. He gave me one last sneer over his shoulder before he disappeared from my line of vision. I heard the front door slam only moments later.

I cursed. I didn’t have anything in my reach that I could use to jimmy these cuffs open. I eyed my phone resting on the sink beside the shower. With a sigh, I maneuvered myself over and managed to pick it up. It took two attempts, and after it fell in the sink, I was increasingly frustrated.

I scrolled through my contacts with a sigh. I couldn’t call Mikey, he was on the job with Imogen, and besides I still didn’t want to talk to him. Even if it was to get me out of these cuffs. Call me petty or whatever, I don’t care.

I couldn’t call Capris, she was teaching a class and it would take her way too long to get here, and I was getting chilly. I couldn’t call my parents, mostly because that would not only be mortifying, but I wasn’t ready to speak to them either.

My finger hovered over a number I’d never dialed before. I knew she wouldn’t judge me, though, so maybe it was worth a shot. With a sigh, I pressed on her name, letting the phone do the rest of the work. 

I listened to ring after ring. “Come on… Pick up, pick up, pick up, please, please…”

“Hi, you’ve reached Cora. Leave me a message even though I’ll probably never listen, lol.”

I cursed and hung up the phone. I kept scrolling through my contacts. There was only one other person in there who had any shot of getting me out of these cuffs. I’d just have to swallow my pride and my dignity.

I closed my eyes with a scowl and pressed his name. He picked up on the third ring.

“Jackson Motors, this is Jax speaking, how can I help?”

“I’m naked and chained to my shower.”

I could practically hear him smirk through the phone.

“I’m not really sure our business caters to such matters, Miss Shimura,” he chuckled. I growled down the phone.

“Look, can you help or not?”

“Where’s your boyfriend?”

I sighed. “On the job. Plus, we’re not really on speaking terms right now.”

“Give me ten minutes,” he said. I hung up the phone before I had to listen to him say something perverted – I was sure to get enough of that when he actually got here.

And that’s exactly what happened eleven minutes later when Jax strolled through my boyfriend’s apartment and into the doorway of the bathroom. He grinned when he laid eyes on my naked form, despite the scowl draped across my features.

I glared, reaching for a nearby bar of soap when he simply crossed his arms and leant against the frame of the door. I threw the soap at his head to distract his attention but he merely ducked with a smirk.

“Now, now, doll face. That’s no way to treat your heroic rescuer.”

I scowled at him as he finally tore his eyes from my pussy, tits and ass, and actually looked up at my face.

“Will you hand me a towel?”

Jax shrugged. “Well, but that would take all the fun out of this little exchange.”

I growled. “ _Jacob…_ ”

Jax just grinned, pulling out his phone. “Fine, but at least let me get a picture first. I mean, it can be my payment for coming to your aid.”

My mouth fell open. “You are so fucking disgusting! What the fuck makes you think I’d be the kind of person to say yes to that, you sick bastard!”

Jax laughed, placing the phone down on my sink and picking up my towel. “I was only kidding doll. But I wish I had a picture of the look on your face when I asked.”

He tossed me the towel and I caught it before swiftly wrapping it around my frame, as well as I could with only one hand. Jax then pulled a lockpick from his back pocket and made swift work of my handcuffs.

“So, how did the great Detective Everly Shimura get herself in such a… _pickle_?” Jax taunted with a glint of humor in his eyes. I rolled my eyes.

“Some asshole picked the lock on the door and then burst in while I was showering.”

Jax eyed me slightly. “Who’d you piss off this time?”

I glared at him. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

Jax just shrugged with a laugh. I sighed.

“The guy wasn’t familiar. Short, dark hair, Hispanic. He threatened me for going after Phillips though, so it’s obviously got to do with my case.”

Jax frowned but then lowered his hands and I felt my cuff loosen and I was suddenly free. I rubbed at my wrist where a red mark had bloomed from having the weight of my arm suspended on it.

Jax watched me carefully as I stepped out of my shower, then with hands quicker than I could follow, my towel was ripped from my body again. My jaw fell open and I cursed at him, kicking out and hoping to catch him somewhere.

Instead, he turned and threw the towel out the open door with a laugh and faced me again. I glared at him, punching his arm and trying to cover myself.

“You fucking asshole!”

“Couldn’t help myself,” he laughed. “Seems a crime that a body like that isn’t on constant display, babe.”

He reached out and slapped my naked ass, making me let out a shocked gasp. I ignored the keen sting of his hand and the way it made my pussy lips clench. There was a knot deep in my stomach and my clit quivered at the thought of everything else I knew he was capable of doing to my body.

“Why don’t you just say it?” I asked. “ _You look good, Ev._ Gee thanks, Jax.”

Jax grinned but took a step back. He kept walking until he’d left the room. I took the chance to find some clothes and pull them on. When I surfaced from the bathroom, I found Jax sitting on my couch watching football. He barely looked up at me when I entered.

I watched as Daphne came into the room and sat on an armchair opposite him. She hissed at him and he just scowled back. I rolled my eyes.

“You can get out now,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Jax looked up from his game and grinned at me before standing.

“What? No thanks for not leaving you stranded in the nude?”

I rolled my eyes. “We both know the only reason you came here was to see me naked.”

Jax grinned, shrugging. “Maybe.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How’d you get in, anyway?”

“Picked the lock.”

I scowled at him and he just shrugged.

“Just get a few deadbolts and you’ll be good to go.”

I nodded and watched as he made for the door. He opened it but before walking out, he turned back with a sly grin.

“You look hot, Ev,” he smirked. I let out a small chuckle.

“Gee thanks, Jax.”

Then I watched as the door fell shut behind him and I was left standing in my boyfriend’s living room alone.

.

**When Jax has been missing for a few chapters I tend to make up for it by having him be the sole focus of an entire chapter lol**


	12. 11

#  **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Everly**

I watched as the sketch artist got up from his seat at my desk, taking my description with him. I’d tried to give him the most accurate retelling I could, so that hopefully the guy would come up in the system somewhere.

Imogen plonked herself down at my desk when he left.

“Django’s in an hour? You look like you could use a drink.”

“Or fifty,” I laughed, nodding. Django’s was a bar in town that was most frequented by cops. Imogen nodded, patting my arm before she got up and left. I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I turned off my monitor for the night.

When I lifted my head, I saw that Mikey was walking through the bullpen. His hair was disheveled and he had a little untamed stubble growing on his jawline. His eye was looking a little better, but it was still blindingly obvious that he’d been punched in the face. He kind of looked like hell.

My heart pulled inside my chest and I sighed. He didn’t look at me as he made his way out the door. I quickly grabbed my jacket and my bag and ran after him. For the past two days, I had ignored the weird stares I’d been getting from my coworkers.

They all thought that I was the one who had hit him, and that hurt worse than Mikey not even telling me who had really done it. He’d said that I knew who it was but he was way off. I had no clue why someone would want to punch my docile boyfriend in the face.

I burst through the doors in time to see him getting into his car. His eyes flipped up to meet mine through his windscreen. I gripped my jacket in my hand before I made my way down the stairs of the precinct and towards his car.

I was afraid he was going to ignore me and drive away.

When I took the steps to his passenger side door, I reached for the handle but didn’t open it. Mikey wasn’t looking at me anymore, but I watched him heave a sigh before he rolled down the window.

I set my lips into a hard line, pushing away the scowl that I wanted to plaster across my features. I had no idea why he was so mad when I hadn’t done anything wrong. The only reason we hadn’t spoken since our fight was because he was denying me a modicum of respect and was refusing to be honest with me.

If anything, I had the most right to be angry. He should’ve been the one chasing me, not the other way around.

“What?” he said coldly. I paused. He was being an asshole right now, and this was a side of him that I’d never seen in all the four years we’d been together, he’d never showed this side of himself.

Did I even want to speak with him if he was going to be like this?

“Can we talk?” I asked. He looked down at his hands, fiddling with the key to the car before finally nodding. He pressed a button that would unlock my door.

I took a deep breath through my nose and pulled it open, falling into the seat. Mikey didn’t say anything, instead just rolled up the window and turned the key in the ignition. Ten minutes later we were back inside his apartment.

I was sitting on the sofa while he was perched on the windowsill. Daphne came over and poured herself into my lap. She must have missed me despite having been witness to my naked handcuffing the day before.

I grimaced as I turned to face my boyfriend. He was scowling at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest.

“How’s your eye?” I asked gingerly. Mikey looked up slightly before rolling his eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I huffed, my eyebrows furrowing. He was like a brick wall. This was not the man that I had agreed to date four years ago. I didn’t even recognize him from the happy-go-lucky cop from two weeks ago.

“What is going on with you?” I asked. I was dumbfounded. I had no idea why he was acting the way he was acting. Every insecurity and every accusation that Capris and Imogen had made were ringing in my ears. Mikey had always been straightforward with me and we had always trusted each other, so I had no clue as to why he was hiding things all of a sudden.

“Nothing is going on with me,” Mikey said. “It’s you I have a problem with.”

My mouth fell open.

“What the hell did _I_ do?” My voice was high and accusatory with disbelief. He had to be joking. The guy was delusional. Mikey stood up and lowered his arms to his sides. He was wearing the biggest scowl I’d ever seen from him, and his glare could cut glass.

“You tell me, Everly. I know you’ve been sleeping with that… that _criminal_!”

I gasped. “Where the hell did you even _get_ that? Are you fucking serious right now? You’re gonna accuse me of cheating!” Mikey tilted his chin in my direction indignantly.

“Don’t try to deny it. People saw you in Lorida that night getting… _cosy_.”

I scoffed, glaring at my boyfriend. “I cannot believe that this is what you’re angry about.”

Mikey shrugged, daring me to deny it. I stood up from the couch and began pacing the room. My hands were balled in fists at my side I was so angry.

“I’ll be the first to tell you, Michael, that nothing happened that night. I got drunk with my friends and he showed up out of nowhere when they all left.”

Mikey rolled his eyes.

“Oh, _please._ Save the lies. I have proof he went home with you that night!”

I laughed venomously. “Yes. Yes he did. He called me a cab and then made sure I got home safely, _but that was it_! He left as soon as I made it into the building.”

Mikey shook his head, walking away from me.

“Why should I believe you?”

I scoffed, my jaw dropping. “Are you kidding me?” my voice was getting squeaky. “What other reason have I given you not to trust me. I would never do that to you because believe it or not, I actually have some loyalty towards the guy I’m dating.”

Mikey shook his head and walked to the bedroom. He didn’t say anything. I scoffed and walked after him, slamming the bedroom door behind me.

“I have put every bit of my trust in you for the last four years, Michael. I have never, and would never cheat on you because I actually respect you, _and_ I’m not that kind of person. Frankly, I am completely offended that you would even think I would go there. Obviously, you don’t trust me as much as I thought you did.

“And how obvious that has become in the last few days, huh? I mean, you couldn’t even fucking tell me who the fuck punched you in the eye. I don’t know if you’ve realized it yet, Michael, but we are supposed to be a team. So, I’m sorry I pushed you for information that night but seriously, I shouldn’t have even had to push so hard.

“You should have trusted me, your _girlfriend,_ to be able to keep your secret and respect your wishes. Instead you’ve turned into some paranoid asshole who I don’t recognise.” I opened the door behind me, letting him stew in my rant. He was sitting on the bed looking anywhere but at my face.

I rolled my eyes with a glare. “Fine. You know what? When you’re ready to have a calm _adult_ conversation about this, and you can explain for whatever reason you think I would ever cheat on you, I’ll be waiting at Django’s where I’ll be spending time with people who actually trust me.”

I stormed from the room, grabbing my jacket. Daphne meowed at me from her place on the couch. I stopped short then turned around, spotting her carry case. I picked it up hastily before guiding my cat inside. She meowed indignantly and then I reached for the handle of the front door.

“Wait!” Mikey called, surfacing from the bedroom. I turned around, watching him stand in the doorway. I shook my head.

“No. I need some space from you right now. You’ve got no idea how much you’ve hurt and offended me with your accusations. I need time to cool down, and as I said, we can speak again when you’re ready for a _calm_ conversation.”

Mikey grimaced, running a hand through his hair. I ignored him, turning on my heel and slamming the door behind me. I sighed, leaning my head on the wall. I allowed myself to finally let out every ounce of anger and sadness that he had made me feel inside that apartment.

Tears fell down my face as I made it to my car. When I shut the door behind me, the floodgates finally opened, and I sobbed into my steering wheel.

Five minutes later, Daphne was yelling beside me and I got my ass into gear. I reached a finger through her cage and stroked her quickly to calm her down before I drove out of the resident’s carpark not knowing where I would end up.

.

I slammed my shot glass down onto the table and was quick to grab the bottle to pour myself another. Imogen laughed.

“Babe, slow it down, we’ve got all night.”

I shook my head and knocked back another drink.

“Woah, woah,” Tyler chuckled, placing a hand on my arm. “Immy’s right, Ev, give the rest of us a chance to keep up, yeah?”

I finally looked up at my friends. I regarded them slowly. They both looked happy and at ease and I knew that I was about to ruin everything with my sour mood, but I couldn’t help it.

“Why do people cheat?” I asked suddenly. Both of my friends paused with their drinks halfway from the table to their lips. Tyler had tensed up and Imogen was frowning. She coughed to clear her throat.

“What?” she asked. I looked her square in the eye.

“Why do people cheat?” I repeated. I shook my head with a frown and poured myself another shot. Tyler finally spoke.

“What’s brought this on? Did Mikey say something?”

I laughed humorlessly. “Ohhhh, Mikey said _a lot_ of things.” I moved away from the table and up to the bar. Hugo was working tonight and he gave me a big grin.

“A pint of your most expensive, please,” I asked. Hugo smiled.

“Tough night?”

I pursed my lips. “You could say that.”

Hugo whistled lowly while he poured my beer. “Mikey got himself in the doghouse or what?” He grinned.

I shook my head in agreement as I took my drink from him. “Something like that.”

When I’d made my way back to my friends, they were both looking at me with matching frowns.

“Did Mikey cheat on you or something?” Imogen asked. I shook my head.

“Quite the opposite actually.” I took a swig of my beer as Tyler’s eyebrows shot up.

“Did you cheat on him?”

I scowled. “He seems to think I did.” I turned to Imogen. “You guys remember that night a few weeks ago in Lorida?”

They both nodded.

“Well, after you all ditched me, I got extremely drunk and then my ex-boyfriend showed up. He put me in a cab and made sure I got home safe but nothing happened. Mikey seems to think that he spent the night with me and I’ve been with him ever since.”

Imogen gasped. “But that’s ridiculous! You would never cheat on him. You’re not some slag who puts out for anyone who smiles at her.”

I nodded my head. “Exactly what I told him, but who knows if he believes me. I mean, after he got hit the other night, he’s proven he doesn’t trust me so I have no idea what the fuck is going on with us.”

I looked over at Tyler. “You’ve been awfully silent in all of this. What do you think?”

Tyler sighed and ran a hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up his nose. That was his tell. I knew he was uncomfortable for some reason.

“Well, I don’t really know? I mean, it kind of seems like he’s just jealous,” he said dejectedly. I frowned.

“That doesn’t excuse him acting like a dick and accusing her of these disgusting things!” Imogen cut in. she got up from her seat. “I’m gonna go teach that son of a bitch a lesson about trust and respect.”

I caught her arm before she could get anywhere. I shook my head at her.

“It’s fine. I’m pissed as hell about it but I just need some time to get over it so we can talk like mature adults. In the meantime, I don’t need anyone else giving him another black eye,” I laughed.

Imogen narrowed her eyes at me.

“I don’t know, babe. You seem awfully blasé about all this…”

I shrugged, shaking my head. “Nah, that’s just a lifetime of hiding my feelings.”

I sighed.

“I just need to drink until I can’t remember my own name. Then I need you two to hold my hair back when it all comes up again.”

Imogen laughed. “What hair, babe? It’s barely long enough to put in a ponytail.”

“Touché,” I laughed, before raising my glass and clinking it against my friends’. “But you guys still didn’t answer my question. What _does_ make people cheat?”

Imogen shrugged. “Got me, hun.”

I looked over at Tyler and he shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe some people aren’t happy in their current relationship. Or maybe people discovered something about themselves that they didn’t know was there and they want to explore it. Maybe they feel neglected or unappreciated and they think someone else can treat them better but they still feel enough for their current partner that they don’t know how to break it off.”

Imogen shrugged. “Or maybe some people are just extreme sleazebags.”

I nodded. “Cheers to that,” I laughed, taking a swig. Tyler laughed too, but with a little less enthusiasm. I watched him from the corner of my eye, wary. He was fidgeting with his hair, his glasses, his coaster, his glass. He was basically playing with anything he could touch.

He was nervous and I had no idea why. He wouldn’t meet my eyes and so he just kind of stared at the condensation drip down his glass.

I took another swig as my paranoia grew.

.

**So…. I know it’s not exactly new news, but…..**

**Mikey is finally showing his asshole true colors.**


	13. 12

#  **CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Everly**

I had begun my morning in a daze. Daphne had shared Imogen’s couch with me after I’d come home from Django’s with a cloudy head. Then I’d cried myself to sleep at the utter betrayal I felt towards my supposed boyfriend.

So, when I’d woken up this morning, I’d looked in the mirror to find dried tracks of mascara down my cheeks, a mess of hair that was flattened on one side and a bird’s nest on the other. My eyeliner from the day before was smudged and so was my lipstick.

To my own amazement, I didn’t seem to have a hangover, just an all-encompassing sense of dread over the fact that my boyfriend thought I was cheating on him. I was dreading our next conversation and was feeling guilty even though literally nothing was my fault.

I’d been so out of it this morning and focused on my argument with him that I didn’t even realize I was eating cereal with orange juice instead of milk until I was already half way through the bowl. It did not taste good.

And so now, as I sat in the parking lot of the autobody shop, my stomach was turning from my disgusting breakfast and from my turmoil over what was probably going to be the end of my relationship with Mikey.

I didn’t know how to come back from it, especially if he didn’t trust me. No amount of counselling could make me forget the horrible things he had accused me of.

I wiped a hand over my cheek, swiping away the tear that had fallen down there. I had opted for no makeup today, which was probably for the best. My mind was too frazzled to have to worry about what my face looked like.

I sighed as I got out of my car and looked around at the mechanics attending to various vehicles. I had been called out here this morning to investigate a car that had been dropped off with no note.

Apparently, it contained something disturbing enough that Jax thought it appropriate for police to deal with it. I couldn’t tell which vehicle it was that needed my attention, so I headed for the office.

Inside, there was a girl who looked no older than eighteen sitting at the front desk. She had shocking orange hair and tattoos all over her thighs, visible because she was wearing denim shorts that barely qualified as underwear.

Her ankles were thrown up on the desk as she flipped through a trashy magazine, snapping gum between her lips every few seconds. She looked up at me, regarding me with minimal interest when I walked in and up to the desk.

“I’m looking for Jax,” I said. The girl shrugged.

“Kay.”

I stared at the girl with a shocked smirk on my face. Of course, this was how my morning was going to go. Of course, I had to deal with inconsiderate uncooperative patrons today. I should have known this was what I was getting myself into when I stepped foot into this establishment.

I retrieved my police badge from where it hung on a chain underneath my shirt and flashed it at the girl. She rolled her eyes before jamming her thumb over her shoulder.

“He’s out back.”

I nodded, rolling my eyes at her as I walked through the door behind her and into the workshop. Inside the workshop it was hot, that was the first thing I noticed. Second thing I noticed was that the place was practically deserted. It was a far different sight than the many mechanics I’d seen milling about outside, tending to other cars.

Jax must have had his own private workshop.

I walked through the lower floor, around two cars that were up on jack’s and missing all their wheels, among other parts.

I followed the sound of steel chewing through metal and finally found him, hunched over the skeleton of a motorcycle. Everything was silver and glinting with the shine of it.

It looked really sleek and covered in chrome. I could see pressure gages and exhaust pipes. I could see metal claws and different sized cogs that turned together. It was a beautiful bike, and like nothing I’d ever seen before.

I cleared my throat and hid my smirk at the fact that he jumped a little at the sound of company. When he turned around, he smirked at me, his eyes glinting. He stood up from where he was crouched on the ground and wiped his hands on the back of his grease stained jeans.

“Hey, doll, good to see you,” he grinned. I frowned. He was unusually chipper.

“What are you working on?” I asked, nodding towards the bike. My interest was piqued. Jax grinned.

“Custom bike for a guy who’s really into steampunk. He lives in Georgia and he’s driving down on the weekend to pick it up.”

I paused. “I didn’t know you could do that?”

Jax grinned, shrugging. “Got into making rat rods a few years ago when I was just finding leftover shit and putting it together. Then I started doing restorations and making custom bikes; there’s a huge market for it and specialists pay big bucks for ‘em.”

I nodded, placing my hands on my hips. “Anyway, I’m here about the car you called in this morning.”

Jax nodded and began walking through the shop, brushing past me and out into the parking lot. I followed him to a car parked in the corner and immediately understood why he had called the police instead of dealing with it himself.

From here, I could see the blood spatter on the inside of the back window. I whistled. Jax smirked at me.

“Details,” I said, my voice low as I tried to contain my excitement at the fact that this could prove a new lead in my case. “I need every detail about how this got here.”

Jax shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.

“All I know is it wasn’t here last night, but it was when I woke up. I’ve got security tapes of the garage so you can look through those. The car is unlocked but I haven’t touched it.”

I nodded, pulling a set of gloves from my pocket and slipping them on. Then I made my way past Jax and opened the back-passenger side door. I cringed at the smell of day-old blood and looked around at the scene.

There was blood on the upholstery and the metal clip on one of the seatbelts had been broken and warped into a sharp point. It was also covered in blood. I was going to assume it was the weapon and that someone had been stabbed.

I pulled myself out of the car and turned around, fast enough to notice that Jax had been staring at my ass as I’d bent over. He grinned when his eyes flipped back up to meet mine.

“Really?”

Jax just shrugged with a chuckle. “Gotta take what I can get, you know?”

I rolled my eyes at him and ignored the spike of guilt I felt in the pit of my stomach at his words. Was this what Mikey had been talking about? If so, Jax’s attraction to me wasn’t something I could control, and I’d never once reciprocated.

Even so, I couldn’t help the images that flashed through my brain as my mind allowed itself to imagine a situation where Mikey had been right. I pushed those images away, which had somehow melded into high school memories of him and I together.

My nose wrinkled as some other smell wafted towards me. I frowned and walked around to the trunk. With a click, I pulled it open and immediately gagged.

Inside, crunched into a bone breaking position, was Benjamin Hale, my second drug running perp. His face was bashed in and he had a large stab wound at his forehead where a piece of metal stuck out slightly. From first glance I assumed it came from the broken seat belt clip in the back of the car.

The body smelt horrible and my eyes were beginning to water a little bit.

Jax came around to where I was standing and stared down at the dead boy, letting a low whistle seethe through his lips. I ignored him.

“Don’t touch anything,” I said as I pulled my phone from my pocket and called the Chief.

Jax waved me off as he looked down at the body. I rolled my eyes and focused on my call.

“Wells.”

“Chief, I need forensics and Detective Leeds at Jackson Motors A.S.A.P., I’ve got an S5M here.”

Chief Wells whistled down the phone. “I’ll send them over.”

I turned around to see Jax frowning at me.

“What?”

He shrugged. “You think it was a murder?”

I cocked my eyebrow at him. “Well, the kid didn’t do it to himself, so yes, I think it was a murder.”

“What if it was accidental?”

I frowned. “Well, then we’ll figure that out. But, reporting a murder just means I’ll get the right people here to deal with the body in the right way, they’re the most qualified to find the right clues.”

Jax nodded. “Do you need my statement?”

“I will eventually, yes, and I’ll need those security tapes.”

Jax nodded and began walking off to the office. About halfway there, he paused and turned back around.

“By the way, did you ask your boyfriend what he’s hiding yet?”

I scowled at the thought of Mikey. I still had no idea what Jax was talking about.

“No, I trust him,” I said. Jax chuckled.

“Misguided notion if you ask me.”

I glared at him. “Well nobody asked you.”

Jax shrugged. “Whatever, babe. But like I said, if you’re ever not quite feeling… _fulfilled…_ you know where to find me.” Then he smirked and kept walking towards the office. I stayed and glared at the dead kid before me.

I had too much on my mind to be baited by Jax. I sighed. This case was getting bigger and bigger with every passing day.

.

“HE SAID WHAT?!”

I pulled the phone away from my ear, wincing as I listened to Capris screech down the line.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him. I’m getting in my car right now and I’m going to stab him until he fucking dies. Ev, I know you’re a cop and everything but you’re going to have to look the other way on this because I’m not going to go to jail for defending my best friend.”

I sighed. “Not helping, Cece.”

Capris groaned. “Well, I’m sorry but this is absolute bullshit. He has no right to say you’ve done any of that when everyone and their mother knows you could win a friggin’ medal for girlfriend of the year.”

I sighed. “I know. I don’t know what’s happening with him, but he’s being a right dick. I told him not to contact me until he was ready to be an adult and apologise calmly.”

“Babe, that will never happen. Everyone knows that that guy has no balls whatsoever. I honestly don’t know why you dated him in the first place.”

I scoffed. “Seriously? Right now is when you’re going to bring all this shit up? I know you guys don’t like eachother but you could at least respect my decision to be with him.”

“I do,” Capris reasoned. “But even you have to admit that I was kind of right on this one. I mean, when you guys started dating I told you he wasn’t right for you.”

I glared at my phone. “But then in the last four years you said nothing else?”

Capris laughed sadly. “Come on, Ev. We both know that if I criticized him at every chance I got, then you’d just stick with him longer. The guy is an asshat and this whole cheating accusation is just proving my point.”

I shook my head. “I’m not talking to you about this anymore,” I said. “You’re making me feel worse.”

Capris sighed. “Well, I’m sorry. I just think you can do better.”

I scoffed. “Who are you and what have you done with my understanding best friend?”

“Ev, all I’m saying is to drop him. He’s not going to change and there’s way more fish in the sea. Like… what about a certain biker who keeps barking up your tree…?”

I scowled. “I’m not talking about Jax either. Call me when you decide to start being more supportive of my decisions.”

“I’m respective, that should count.”

I scoffed. “That’s bullshit, Capris.” I hung up the phone and leant my head back on the headrest of my car seat. Then I let myself cry, because sometimes that’s just what you need to do.

And sitting and crying in your car isn’t pathetic, it’s therapeutic. All of Capris’ criticisms of Mikey were running through my head, as well as Jax’s constant taunting that my boyfriend was hiding something important from me.

I knew that he was, I didn’t need Jax to tell me that much. I was a police detective for god’s sake, I wasn’t clueless. I scowled and glared at my steering wheel as I made my decision.

Mikey better have been ready to talk because I was fucking livid and I was ready to bite his head off to get to the bottom of this shit.

.

**When your plot is going nowhere: introduce a dead body lmao**


	14. 13

#  **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**Everly**

By the time I made it to Mikey’s, I had calmed myself down a little bit. I mean, I had told him that I wanted to have a calm conversation like mature adults. I was still unbelievably hurt that he’d thought I was cheating on him but we could work past this.

I refused to let Capris be right about my relationship.

Mikey had always been a sweet and caring boyfriend in the past four years, it was just these last few weeks that something had happened to us. I wasn’t willing to throw away a four-year relationship over a little hiccup.

_Do you really see yourself marrying him, though?_

I frowned, pushing away the voice of doubt inside my head. Mikey was a good guy, he was obviously just going through something. I was hurt that he hadn’t come to me to talk about it, but there was only so much I could do with the information that I had.

_Do you really want to spend the rest of your life never feeling fully satisfied?_

I groaned as I got out of my car. I pushed away those thoughts. Some things were better and more important than sex. Finding a genuinely sweet guy was one of the hardest things you could do these days.

_Especially at your age…_

I rolled my eyes at my inner monologue. I was only twenty-nine. I had plenty of time for that shit. I didn’t need my body and mind reminding me that my biological clock was ticking.

I took the stairs up to Mikey’s apartment two at a time. I had already texted him, letting him know that I was coming over. I used my key to open his front door then looked around the apartment.

His keys were by the door so I knew he was home. I could hear the shower running so I went to his room and sat on his bed, making myself comfortable while I waited for him to finish. I pulled out my phone to flip through a few emails regarding Benjamin Hale’s body from yesterday.

The ME report said what I’d suspected and that Hale had died from forced trauma to the skull, the weapon being the jagged metal seat belt clip. Forensics had yet to find any indicating hairs or skin cells or fingerprints that would place the murderer at the scene of the crime.

If they came up with nothing, then we could assume that we were dealing with someone who knew how to avoid the cops.

I heard Mikey’s phone make a noise about an incoming text. I looked up from my screen and frowned. His phone was on his bed side table. My eyes flicked to the bathroom door as I bit my lip.

_Don’t do it. Practice what you preach. You say you trust him._

The shower wasn’t running anymore, so if I was going to do this, I’d have to be quick. He’d never had a complex about me checking his phone before, but after everything that had happened between us, maybe it wasn’t the best idea.

My fingers were itching to reach out and grab the device.

_Don’t bother, it’s probably just a work related email…_

I frowned at that thought. _Yes,_ I thought, _but Mikey has been working a lot of late nights and extra shifts lately…_

I bit down on my lip hard enough to draw blood before I scowled and launched across the bed to reach his phone. I flicked on the screen and sighed happily.

It was just an email confirming a shipment of rubber bands and paper clips. He must have ordered them for the precinct.

I smiled in relief and went to close his phone again and put it back, feeling immensely guilty for being so paranoid about his incoming messages and for invading his privacy. But, as my finger hovered over the ‘off’ button, my eyes fell on his little green text message icon. It had a glowing red number in the top right corner.

Five unread texts.

I frowned again and checked the bathroom door. Still closed. I sighed and pushed into the application. My eyes widened when they landed on the multiple threads from someone under the name ‘Sunshine’ with the tongue emoji.

**‘Come over later, just say you’re working late.’**

**‘I close shop in fifteen, I expect you at mine in twenty.’**

**‘I can’t wait to crawl up in that ass tonight.’**

My eyes widened as I kept scrolling through almost two months’ worth of text messages. Names were never mentioned but after a few innuendos, I think I figured out who it was.

**‘Thought of making your cum a new flavor in the shop today, but figured I’d rather keep it for myself.’**

**‘I want to lick every inch of you until you melt.’**

**‘I want you to cream all over my face.’**

Tears began running down my face as I scrolled through lines of water drop emojis and tongue emojis as well as hearts amongst others. How dare he accuse me of cheating on him.

How dare he paint me as the bad guy when he’s the one who’s been going behind my back for months. How the hell did I not notice any of this was happening?

I had to scroll through about fifty nudes and couldn’t even bring myself to watch the videos of my boyfriend masturbating in his hand. What hurt most was that the nudes that came back were also of male genetalia.

My eyes snapped up with a glare as I heard the bathroom door click open. Mikey laid his eyes on me, then flipped down to his phone in my hands. His eyes widened and he grimaced.

I watched through teary eyes as he leant against his door frame and ran a hand over his face.

“You are a lying sack of shit,” I whispered. Mikey looked up at me with a pained expression. He had tears in his eyes too.

“I know,” he groaned, “I know and I’m so sorry but I didn’t know how to tell you that I… that I was… _am_ …”

“Gay?” I interjected. Mikey widened his eyes at me and I scowled, throwing his phone on the bed and getting up.

“I can’t believe you accused me of this shit when it was you who was going around town shoving your dick into anything that moves,” I seethed. I was pacing the bedroom, trying to keep my anger under control.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to hate me–”

I interrupted him with a short laugh, devoid of humor. “Well, you’ve screwed that up because there’s not any way that I wouldn’t hate you right now.”

I glared at him, staring into his eyes and not allowing him to look away.

“I don’t care that you’re gay. What hurts is that you decided to cheat on me and let me think everything was fine when you should have just broken up with me when you figured it out. No, instead you let me think we were great for months and that nothing was wrong and you’ve royally wasted months, maybe years, of my life because you were too selfish and too clueless and too fucking chicken to break up with me yourself.

“And now on top of everything, you chose to be with Tyler, one of my fucking best friends. I wouldn’t have been fucking mad if you’d told me when you figured it out. I would’ve been hurt and probably blamed myself for thinking I wasn’t good enough for you but I would’ve been understanding and supportive.

“But you’ve lost that opportunity and I don’t owe you a fucking ounce of understanding or support, which makes me look like a homophobic asshole, which I’m not. No, you lost all of those opportunities when you decided to cheat on me instead of coming to me and talking to me like an adult.”

“Everly–”

“NO!” I shouted. “You don’t get to say a fucking thing because what you’ve done is so fucking low that I don’t want to hear you try and defend yourself. You’re an adult, Michael, act like it. Take responsibility for the shit that you’ve fucking done and don’t make fucking excuses about being fucking scared or chicken shit.”

When I finished my rant, my chest was heaving and Mikey was crying silently. He had slumped onto the floor and his head was in his hands.

“ _Please… I’m so sorry…_ ”

“BULLSHIT!” I screamed. “That’s fucking bullshit! If you were truly sorry, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place! Instead you decided to make me feel like the asshole in this ‘relationship’ for the past week just because you wouldn’t man up and own your actions.

“You’re a fucking asshole, Michael. I never want to speak to you again, and I hope everything you’ve done was fucking worth it.”

With one final glare, I stormed out of his bedroom, leaving him weeping into the floor. I had no sympathy for him. He was an asshole who decided to take the cowards way out by having an affair instead of telling me what he was going through. I didn’t have time for dishonest people in my life and right now I needed to vent to someone who I knew would listen.

I needed to rant to someone who I knew wouldn’t interrupt with their own agenda or comments or input. I knew he would just listen and then we would get on with our shit. So, I got to my car in a whirlwind of anger and bewilderment. Then ten minutes later I was sitting outside his workshop and winding up enough courage to go and yell at him for not just telling me straight out that my boyfriend was cheating on me.

I was mad at everyone right now, and Jax seemed like a good enough target to aim all of my frustration at. God knows he’d pissed me off enough since I’d come back to this damn stupid town.

.

**Some of y’all guessed he was cheating so fucking early, lmao guess I wasn’t subtle enough. I was literally flying by the seat of my pants for a little bit there.**


	15. 14

#  **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

I slammed my car door and stormed up to the workshop. It was closed and deserted but I knew that Jax lived in a little apartment upstairs of the office. I made my way inside, noting that the office was unlocked.

Jax must not have cared much for the safety of his belongings. Either that, or he just knew that no one in this town would be dumb enough to rob the Vice President of the local MC.

I found the door that would lead up to his apartment and shouldered it open. It was unlocked, too. I could hear some faint sound coming from inside so I knew someone had to be home.

I finally made my way into his apartment. I looked around with a frown. Everything was as clean cut as I remember him being in high school. Jax liked things tidy, almost clinical.

Everything was completely clean, devoid of dust on the floor. Jax was anal about his apartment being tidy to the point where I thought he had OCD. His neat freakiness could be seen in the way he’d alphabetized his DVDs, and in the way I knew the fruit in his refrigerator was organized by color.

His pans were hung up according to size and his kitchen was so coordinated that it was mindblowing. If you’d ever seen that episode of _Modern Family_ where Cam reorganizes Gloria’s kitchen to be more functional, Jax’s kitchen was like that, only worse.

Everything was just short of being labelled and god forbid something go where it wasn’t supposed to go. I rolled my eyes at his apartment and moved around towards the bedroom.

I couldn’t hear anything, but if he was in there, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d had the place soundproofed. I shouldered open the door and my eyes immediately widened as they fell on the form of a naked girl.

Her shock of orange hair hid her eyes which I knew were probably closed anyway. She was on her hands and knees with her ass up in the air. Then I looked up, my mouth falling open as I watched Jax fuck her from behind.

His hands gripped her hips and I could see a red handprint on one of her asscheeks. His eyes flipped up to meet mine and I could see the momentary shock in them before he smirked.

“Like what you see, doll?” he taunted.

I couldn’t look away.

At the sound of his voice, the girl looked up and I recognized her as the child who had sat at his front desk only yesterday. She sent me a scowl.

“Get the fuck out, perv, we’re kind of busy,” she said coldly. Jax glared at her and spanked her ass. I watched as the girl jolted slightly at the pain, she let out a little moan.

“Shut up,” Jax said, before turning back to me. I wanted to rip my eyes away but I couldn’t. He used to spank me like that, and this one demonstration was enough to flood my panties with arousal.

My body was responding to the act in front of me and I couldn’t stop it. I grimaced as I felt my nipples hardening under my shirt. I was certain that Jax could tell from where he kneeled.

The continuous slap of his pelvis against the girl’s ass was the soundtrack to his next sentence. “What can I do for you, babe?”

I grimaced. “I need to talk to you, but if you’re busy…” I trailed off. Jax grinned and shrugged.

“You want to talk to me, you do it on _my_ time.”

I glared at him, opening my mouth to give him a retort, but I was interrupted by the girl beginning a series of short squeaks.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away as I watched his cock piston in and out of the young girl. She began moaning like a porn star and it was honestly so distracting. The words I wanted to say were stuck on my tongue as I watched the girl’s lips form an ‘o’ as her orgasm hit her.

“Oh, ah, fuck, ah, ah, ah, _ooooohhhhhh…”_

My feet were practically glued to the floor as my mind screamed at them to move and carry me out of the room and away from the sight of their hard fucking. But my feet wouldn’t let me go anywhere, and my eyes held me prisoner as they fixed on the sight before them.

It was like watching porn, only it was live and happening right before me. It was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen and my pussy clenched every time I watched Jax thrust into the girl.

Jax grunted as he went a little faster and the girl squealed through her orgasm, pushing back against Jax’s cock with more fervor, practically begging him to go faster, harder, give her more friction.

I was completely wet at the sight as Jax dug his fingers into the girls hips, guiding her into a harder and faster rhythm. She reared up from her doggy style position slightly for more leverage on her hands and thrust back harshly.

I watched Jax reach around her and pinch her clit before she came with a harsh cry.

“ _Jaxy, baby, ohhh…_ shit, oh fuck, oh, oh, _aahhh…_ ”

I was finally able to slip my eyes away from the sight as the girl’s head reared back with her eyes closed and her mouth open, her pleasure took over and Jax grinned. Finally he stopped thrusting into her weeping pussy and pulled out. I looked back to see the girl slump in front of him.

He removed his condom, tied it in a knot and then threw it away. He then turned back to the girl. “Get out,” he said harshly. The girl sat up and placed a hand on his chest, playing with his nipple. Her other hand gripped his base and I watched her hand tighten as she squeezed.

My own pussy clenched at the sight. I hated that watching them had turned me on.

Jax glared down at her.

“Come on, baby… Let me return the favor,” she whispered, her lips falling to his nipple and I could hear as she began sucking on it. I rolled my eyes. She sounded completely desperate.

Jax pushed here away effortlessly. “We’re done, get out.”

The girl huffed and got off the bed, collecting her clothes and quickly shoving her legs into a pair of pants. She made her way past me with a glare, shoving my shoulder. I rolled my eyes as her heard the front door slam.

I moved my glared back to Jax, who just smirked at me. He was standing beside his bed now, not having bothered to dress himself.

My eyes flicked quickly down to his apex and then back up again. He was completely hard. I could see the veins popping in his dick from here, and the head seemed bulbous and angry.

Jax raised an eyebrow at me, making his piercing wiggle before he crossed his arms over his naked chest. I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before and he knew it. He was completely comfortable, and I was angry enough to ignore him.

“So… breaking and entering again, doll? Maybe _you_ should be put in that fancy new holding cell with all the other criminals.”

I smirked. “I’d hardly call it breaking and entering if the place is completely unlocked.”

Jax whistled. “Blaming the victim now are we?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re hardly a victim.”

“Oh, I beg to differ. You, the big bad cop, have barged into my private residence and practically accosted me as I’ve been vulnerable and in the nude…”

I sighed. “We both know you’re not vulnerable.”

Jax grinned, nodding his head. His dick bounced at the small movements and my eyes couldn’t help but track it. Jax smirked at me when he noticed.

“So, why _are_ you here?”

I paused. How did I go about this?

“I broke up with Mikey,” I finally said, not breaking eye contact with Jax. He raised an eyebrow in return.

“I see…”

I watched him flex his dick, making it point straight at me. My eyes were glued to it and I couldn’t stop my mouth from watering slightly.

I glared at him. “Why didn’t you just tell me you knew, instead of just giving me hints.”

Jax shrugged. “Would you have believed me if I did?”

When I didn’t answer him, I felt the hurt and betrayal from my relationship course through me and one lonely tear fell down my face. Jax came forward until he was standing right in front of me.

His gigantic frame dwarfed mine and I watched as his thumb reached out and wiped the wetness from under my eye. He was close enough to me that the tip of his cock was pressed against my navel.

I looked up at him with a glare. My heartbeat was thundering in my ears. I wanted this, but I couldn’t let him know how badly I wanted it… how badly I wanted him. I wanted him to help me forget. I knew he was more than capable.

“You’re a disgusting perv.”

Jax grinned, chuckling. “Does it turn you on?”

I rolled my eyes. “You fucking wish,” I whispered.

His laugh made his dick press forward. I could feel every hardened ridge of his length and it was making me breathless. His hands snaked down and to my legs. He lifted me up and I willingly wound my legs around his waist.

His dick rested against my apex now. Jax walked backwards and leant me against the wall. His lips fell to my throat and peppered kisses there as my brain went into overdrive.

My arms wound around his neck and pressed his head closer to my skin as a small sigh left my lips. I could feel Jax’s grin against my neck.

“I saw them together at the Gallows. Walked in on them together in one of the bathrooms. Punched him in the face for cheating on you.”

His words whispered against my skin as his lips kissed my neck. I pulled his face away so that I could look him right in the eyes.

“You did that?” I asked. Jax shrugged. My mouth fell open in an ‘o’ shape. _So, that’s what Mikey had meant when he’d said I already knew who’d done it._

I guess now, in hindsight, it should have been much more obvious to me. I cursed myself for letting my emotions cloud the facts. I felt Jax’s fingers dig into my ass through my jeans.

I eyed him warily with a half glare.

“Seriously? You think we’re going there?”

Jax grinned before thrusting his erection against my core, making me gasp. I’d never really been a fan of dry humping – why waste time, you know? – but this was turning me on beyond belief.

“Doll, it’s inevitable.”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want me to say? Oh no, my boyfriend cheated on me, how will I ever get over my broken heart? Oh please, oh please, Jax, heal me with your magic penis. Fuck my problems away with your godly dick.”

Jax grinned. “Well you sure do know how to make a guy’s ego swell.”

I glared at him. “Go suck a dick.”

“Can I get you on mine?” he chuckled.

I glared at him. It was rude of him to assume that we would be having sex – even though I was completely ready to go there – something inside me told me it would be even better if I riled him up. Sue me – some girls like being chased.

“Just say the words and I'm yours, dollface. I can make you forget all about that cheating fucker,” he grinned as his lips fell back against my throat, kissing my jugular vein.

“Hell no, it's not gonna fucking happen. I just watched you bring a teenager to orgasm not even ten minutes ago. You think I’d let you have sex with me after seeing that?”

Jax thrust against me again, making me lose my train of thought. He moved up to stare into my eyes. He looked completely serious.

“I wouldn't lose hope just yet, babe. Besides, she was perfectly legal.”

I rolled my eyes, and before I could retort, Jax pressed forward and slammed his lips against mine. My eyes closed automatically as I allowed his hot tongue through the seam of my lips.

I moaned wantonly and kissed him harshly. He chuckled into our kiss and I bit down on his bottom lip. I dragged it between my teeth, making him growl and dig his fingers into my ass.

He thrust against me, humping me through my jeans in time with the thrusts of his tongue.

My body went into overdrive as his hands then moved to my top. They wound underneath the fabric, caressing the skin of my back as they travelled upwards and then around to the cups of my bra.

He tore the cups apart harshly and I gasped as I felt it snap. I pulled away from his lips angrily.

“That was fucking new, you fucking asshole.”

Jax rolled his eyes and brought his lips back to mine quickly and forcefully.

“Shut…up…” he managed to breath out between kisses. I forgot my train of thought immediately as he fiddled with both of my sensitive nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

I ground my pussy against his growing erection as he pressed on my nipples and circled them. When he pinched them, I jolted in his arms and I felt my pussy clench.

My hands fell to his shoulders where I could feel his muscles rolling beneath the skin. That was so unbelievably hot to me, I couldn’t handle it. My hands then fell to his neck where his skeletal tattoo was.

I gripped him loosely so that I could be in control of our kiss.

Our tongues were fully interwoven, like he was trying to get as far down my throat and into my body as he could. He dragged my arms above my head before quickly dragging my shirt from my skin.

Our kiss was broken momentarily as my shirt was dragged over my head, before he threw it on the floor. I shrugged the broken pieces of my bra from my shoulders, leaving me completely shirtless.

Jax brought his lips back to mine with bruising force before his arms wound around my legs again. He picked me up from where he leant me against the wall and brought me over to the bed.

My eyes fell open in shock as he let me go and I bounced onto my back. He chuckled as he watched my tits fall into place and my eyes were locked on his dick as he stood above me.

Predator and prey.

My nipples hardened and my pussy clenched in anticipation.

.

**Lol and this is the moment where everyone yells at me for cutting them off _right_ when it’s about to get juicy. Well, let me just say… you guys aren’t ready for the next chapter. I don’t even know if _I’m_ ready yet.**


	16. 15 pt1

#  **CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Part 1)**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

My eyes fell open in shock as he let me go and I bounced onto my back. He chuckled as he watched my tits fall into place and my eyes were locked on his dick as he stood above me.

Predator and prey.

My nipples hardened and my pussy clenched in anticipation.

My heart was pounding in my ears as he watched me. He leaned forward and crawled up my body until he reached my lips again.

My hands wound into his hair as his lips bruised mine. I moaned softly into his mouth and he chuckled. Then he roved his lips across my jawline and down my neck, eliciting a small gasp from me.

He moved down to my breasts, his mouth encapsulating one of my nipples and his hand toying with the other. As his tongue swirled around my hardened peb, my back arched, allowing to reach his other arm beneath my body and keep me tilted towards him.

My pussy was pressed against his naked sex and he made short work of grinding into me, making me moan wantonly.

“ _Fuck_ , Jax…”

He bit into my nipple, effectively shutting me up. My eyes fell closed as I surrendered to the almighty feeling he was giving me. The pressure of my clit rubbing against my jeans was bringing me to an orgasm that I didn’t even see coming.

I was about to come for the first time in months. My body wasn’t ready.

My breathing was becoming shallow as Jax tortured my sensitive nipples. He moved his mouth from one to the other, giving them the same amount of attention. He drew back and blew a cold breath of air over my peaks, making me shiver as my body tightened.

His tongue then swept down my midsection, between the valley of my breasts and down to my navel. He dipped in slightly, making me sigh before he came to the rise of my jeans.

I felt his fingers dig into the skin of my supple ass as I felt his teeth rake across the button on my jeans. In a move hotter than any other I’d seen, he undid the button with his teeth before flicking his eyes up to grin at me.

He unzipped me before his hands dove into my pants. He dragged the material from my legs and flung them somewhere on the floor. His skin felt hot against mine, nothing more than a whisper as he grabbed my ankle and began kissing his way up my leg.

He bent it at the knee before dragging his tongue up my thigh. When he reached my thong, he brought both hands under my ass again, pinching the skin and making me jolt in his arms.

His lips came forward and pressed a hot kiss to my mound, through the material of my underwear. I sighed and my back bowed at the small action. I felt him press his nose to my underwear and breathe in.

I felt him let out a slow rumble from his throat, vibrating through my core. I shivered.

“ _Fuck…_ Already so wet, baby?” he breathed.

I didn’t answer him, I couldn’t. my whole body was tongue tied and completely at his mercy. I felt him press his thumb to my folds and begin torturing me slowly through my panties.

His slow movements and circular repetitions had my pelvis thrusting slowly in time with his hand. I needed more friction, more action, just _more…_

I felt his fingers twist upwards on my skin before hooking around the flimsy straps of my panty. Then his fingers dragged downwards slowly. He pulled the garment only slightly off my pussy before I felt his hot breath fan over my skin.

I shuddered in anticipation, my eyes closed tightly and my fingers grasping onto the sheets beside me. Jax moved _so slowly_ as he pulled my thong down my legs. When finally flung them from my body, he grabbed my other leg and gave it the same treatment as my moved back up my body.

He kissed his way from my ankle to my knee, then bent my leg and laved his tongue up my thigh. When he made it back to my mound, he threw both of my legs over his shoulders. I gasped at the movement before I felt his thumb on my lips.

He moved my lips aside before pressing his thumb _straight_ onto my clit. My body convulsed at the stark change in pressure and I gasped. He began his slow circles again and I could feel a slow pool of heat beginning to form in the base of my stomach.

His hot breath on my pussy lips was absolute torment and my mind was racing. It felt like he used his slow movements just to test me. I felt like I’d been lying there for hours in that painstaking place between agony and pleasure.

 _“More…_ ” I moaned. Jax chuckled but didn’t go faster or give me more friction. He was making me wait, and I hated him for it. It had been much too long since I’d had an orgasm and I was more than antsy.

After forever, he finally obeyed my order. His thumb began to press a little harder against my sensitive nub, and his circles became a little faster. My breath hitched and my back began to arch off the bed as I came closer and closer to my release.

He began to use his other hand. He moved it down to my opening, circling it to test the waters. I moaned when he began to let his index fingers sink into my kitty.

He thrust into me slowly before pulling back out, just as leisurely. I groaned in frustration as his change in pace began to pull me away from my orgasm again. Jax thrust back in again. Then out. His movements were almost methodical.

_Circle, circle, thrust. Circle, circle, retreat._

He was painstakingly slow and I sighed with impatience. Jax rewarded me by pinching my clit, making me jump. I felt a spike in my pleasure as a curse slipped from my lips.

Then he added a second finger. I felt my pussy walls stretch as he pushed two fingers inside. His were longer than I remembered Mikey’s being, and they reached a place inside me that hadn’t been touched in a while.

Jax was already more attentive a lover than Mikey had ever been.

I shook my head with a frown, trying to rid it of thoughts of my cheating ex-boyfriend. I was here with Jax purely for therapeutic reasons. Sex with him would act like a band aid – something to help me forget about the pain from my relationship for a while.

Jax noticed my discomfort and pinched my clit again, making me gasp. I was moaning with each thrust of his fingers now, that was before he added a third.

I began to pant as my walls were stretched and pulled to fit his digits. My chest rose and fell with the quick inhale and exhale of my breath. His pressure against my clit became too much and his fingers were thrusting much faster now.

I was racing towards my release and my mind became blank as it became all I could focus on. His breath against my skin was just as harsh and it was driving me wild. My hips thrust in time with Jax’s fingers as he sped up.

My pelvis had lifted from the bed and now hung midair, making my muscles ache but I didn’t care. Everything else just felt so good. I could feel my orgasm, ready to be tipped over the edge, and Jax could feel it too because at that moment, his fingers _curled_ inside me and he pinched my clit hard.

“Holy fuck,” I screeched as my body convulsed and I finally let go. My orgasm hit me like a wave and I was rolling and tumbling with the sea. My body convulsed and I panted and moaned as I was taken to the mercy of my release.

_“Shit, shit.. ahhh, shit!”_

Jax helped me ride through my release, thrusting his fingers with every roll of my hips, prolonging my pleasure. When I finally came down from my high, Jax pulled his fingers from my body as I breathed in and out quickly to calm down, trying to actually catch my breath.

I watched him through hooded eyes as he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked my cream from his skin. My body felt on fire as he gave me a sultry smirk when his fingers finally dropped from his lips.

The were clean as a whistle.

His eyes then dropped to my heaving breasts, then down to my pussy lips. I could feel my release slipping through my lips and wetting the top of my thighs so I was a hundred percent sure that Jax could see the physical evidence of his actions.

He grinned at me before he pounced.

I gasped as his lips captured my pussy lips. His tongue darted in and out of my kitty, collecting my cream and simultaneously turning me on all over again.

“Shit,” I gasped, my hands coming up to my breasts to knead and pinch my nipples. I needed extra stimulation.

Jax buried his face in my pussy, his nose brushing at my clit as he lapped up my juices. I let out a girly moan when he moved up to my clit and captured it between his teeth.

_“Unghh…”_

I didn’t recognize the moans and incoherent sounds slipping from my lips at the quick work of his tongue as he brought me closer and closer to another earth shattering orgasm. He flattened his tongue to lave through my pussy lips, gathering every piece of my arousal.

He lapped at my folds like a cat laps at milk. He was getting all the cream and swallowing it heartily. His hands caressed my ass and kneaded at the cheeks, keeping me pressed against his hot mouth.

He mashed against my mound, bruising me and pushing me closer and closer.

He was becoming one with my pussy as his lips latched on and held me prisoner. I moaned and twisted my nipples as he bit into my sensitive bundle of nerves. His tongue flicked back and forth over it as he teased it with his entire mouth.

Then I felt one of his fingers press at my sensitive starfish. I screeched as that small action pushed me over the edge. He rimmed my asshole with his finger but never pressed inside and the forbidden action made me cream all over his face.

He rumbled appreciatively into my kitty as he lapped at my juices.

My body convulsed and my hips rolled and thrusted towards his face as he licked up my cream with such enthusiasm that my orgasm rolled into another, making my eyes fall to the back of my head and close with pleasure.

When I came down from my high, he pulled back and grinned up at me. He moved quickly up my body and pressed his lips to mine. His tongue invaded my mouth and I could taste myself on him.

I was surprisingly sweet. I hadn’t tasted myself this way in years. I moaned into his mouth as he moved my legs to wrap around his waist. I reached down and gripped his length.

I could feel that he was impossibly hard. His head was hot to touch and as I ran my thumb over his slit I felt it wet with precum. He grunted at my action and hissed when I squeezed his base. He bit my bottom lip as a warning.

I chuckled into his mouth and squeezed him again, testing his patience. He growled and pulled away from my lips.

“Playing with fire, there, babe…”

I shrugged, my hand stroking his length languidly.

“Maybe I like the danger,” I whispered. Jax’s eyes darkened and he reached beside the bed and into his top drawer. He pulled out a Magnum and swatted my hand away from his dick so that he could roll it on.

I distracted myself by toying with my nipples. Then I felt his tip press at my entrance. I gasped at the shock of his size – _had he grown bigger since I’d last been with him? Was that even possible?_

Jax ignored my shock and began pushing himself inside me. He was so incredibly thick that my walls actually protested him. My heels dug into his ass and I hissed in warning.

The small bite of pain was worth it, though.

He managed to get his head into my kitty and I gasped, my hand flying to his bicep and squeezing to stop him from moving. He looked down at me and frowned, then leant down and kissed me, distracting me as he pulled his head out.

When he pushed back in, he made it go a little further, an inch or so. I was breathing heavily but Jax’s tongue on mine was enough of a distraction to make me forget about the pinch I felt in my pussy.

Jax moved a hand down to play with my clit, helping me relax. I sighed into his mouth as I felt a little looser the next time he thrust in.

He was probably halfway in and it was already feeling better. The initial pain was subsiding and instead all I felt was immense pleasure. My mind raced with memories of how it had been in high school.

It was no where near as good as this. Whatever practice he’d had – and I’m sure as club VP he got more tail than most – it had paid off. I willed myself not to think about every other girl he’d been with and instead focused on the fact that he was now fully inside me and I was seated on his dick.

He paused for a moment, allowing me to adjust. His tongue in my mouth and his finger relentlessly pushing my clit was making me feel like I was flying. I could feel the tip of his cock pressed up against my womb and I could feel every vein in his length dragging across the spongy surface of my pussy walls.

My head fell back in pleasure, making me let go of his kiss as I let out a sigh of relief from his cock. He chuckled, pressing his lips to my throat as he began sucking on my skin.

I didn’t even care that he was going to leave a mark. I didn’t care who would see it. I just didn’t care anymore. I didn’t have to answer to anyone and I didn’t need to explain myself.

I wasn’t tied down anymore and I didn’t owe anything to anyone.

I felt Jax release me as his cock slid out of me, then thrust back in harshly, making my breath push out of my lungs. His thrusts became a harsh rhythm. He was fast and strong.

Every thrust had a purpose and he was extremely calculated in his fucking. He knew from memory, the exact places in me that he needed to press or rub or stimulate to gather a response.

And as I felt him slide across my g-spot with an immense amount of pressure, my orgasm surprised me. I moaned as it washed over me, making my eyes fall closed and my fingers tighten on his arm where I’d held on to keep steady.

Fucking Jax was like riding one of those bucking bull games in a bar. I had to hold on for dear life just to make it through, but damn if it wasn’t the best ride I’d ever been on.

I could feel his balls slapping against my ass with every thrust and so reach down to cradle them as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through me.

I was hyperventilating with each breath that panted in and out of my lungs. When I cupped his balls, Jax stiffened inside me and grunted. He kicked everything up a notch when I began massaging them in my hand.

I knew his body as well as he knew mine. His finger pinched at my clit as his other hand moved to my breast and pinched my nipple there. I gasped and rolled his testicles in my hand. I dug my heels into his ass to control our speed.

I made him go faster, I needed to harsh pressure of his body against mine. His lips found mine again and we fought for control. Teeth clashed and I felt him bite into my lip before I sucked on his tongue.

He groaned into my mouth and I moaned before I pressed my thumb into that place between his balls and his cock. It was the most sensitive part of his entire genitalia – apart from his slit – and I got the reaction I wanted.

He roared as his cock kicked inside me and I felt him begin to cum inside the condom. His reaction triggered my own orgasm – _was that number four of the night? Or was it five?_ I had lost count – and I rode with him as he kept thrusting hard up inside my kitty.

His finger tortured my clit, rolling me through my release as his other hand pinched and rolled my nipple. My heels kept digging into his ass as his lips were still on mine. My hands had retreated from his ballsac and instead were buried in his crop of blond hair.

I tugged at the ends and lost my fingers inside. I was trying to bury myself in him as he kept thrusting.

I could feel every warm spurt of his cum against the condom and it heated my insides. Just when I thought he was empty, he kept going. I guess this was what happened when you’d been pent up after sex with two women in one night.

When his thrusting began to slow, is when I finally began to come down from my high. I was breathing hard and so was he. I could feel his cock beginning to soften inside me, though it didn’t lose much of it’s length. He still felt like one huge muscle.

Jax pinched and pushed at my clit to ride me through my aftershocks and his thrusting became a slow rhythm. His lips moved back down to my neck and sucked on his love bite. I sighed as my pleasure began to subside.

Jax pulled out of me and his lips left my skin. His fingers retreated as he pulled the condom from his semi and tied it in a knot. He threw it in the trash and I sat up. Jax gave me an odd look and I grinned.

I put a hand on his chest before flipping us over.

“My turn,” I grinned, wrapping my hand around his semi and beginning to stroke. Jax smirked and placed his hands behind his head.

_“Bring it.”_

_._

**Told you all you weren’t ready, lmao**


	17. 15 pt2

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Part 2)**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

Jax pulled out of me and his lips left my skin. His fingers retreated as he pulled the condom from his semi and tied it in a knot. He threw it in the trash and I sat up. Jax gave me an odd look and I grinned.

I put a hand on his chest before flipping us over.

“My turn,” I grinned, wrapping my hand around his semi and beginning to stroke. Jax smirked and placed his hands behind his head.

“Bring it.”

I chuckled as Jax grunted when I squeezed his base. His body tensed underneath me and I felt his slow exhale ghost across my skin. He was trying to keep himself calm, trying to prolong everything.

I grinned, dragging my fingertips over every hard ridge and muscle along his shaft. I looked up to see that his eyes had fallen closed as I stroked him. His chest rose and fell in time with his heartbeat.

His hands wound down until they rested on my hips. His fingers gripped my bones. I could feel the heat in them. I smiled before I leant down to his lips. I pressed mine to his and reveled in the small intake of breath I felt from his nose.

My kiss had surprised him.

I sucked on his bottom lip, teething it before I let go. I heard a growl begin to rumble in the base of his throat when my thumb ran over his slit. I massaged his bulbous head as my thumb circled his opening.

His hips gave an involuntary thrust as he grunted. I pressed one last quick kiss to his lips before I moved my body down. His hands left my hips and found their way to my hair. He gripped at the roots as I rested myself closer to his length.

He moved so that he had a better view. I widened my eyes innocently and looked up at him through my lashes as I let my mouth take his length in. I watched his gaze darken with lust at my action, stroking the remainder of his length as his mushroom head fell onto my tongue.

_“Fuck…”_ Jax cursed as I sucked languidly on the head, the tip of my tongue flicking against his slit.

I watched his eyes roll into the back of his head as his grip on my hair tightened. I hollowed out my cheeks and began to take more of him inside my mouth. He was hot against my tongue and I could feel him growing harder with every passing second.

My eyes began to water as his hips thrust upwards, making me take more of him than I could. His tip bruised the back of my throat as he pushed too far and I whimpered around his length.

I pulled back as my mouth filled with saliva and I spat on his length, lubricating it so it would be easier for my to take. I ran my hand up and back down his shaft again as my other hand cradled his balls.

I watched his hips raise off the bed slightly as he groaned. I smirked, guys were so easy. He was completely at my mercy.

I brought him back to my lips and forced myself to ignore my gag reflex. I sucked on his head and then brought my lips down his length again. I worked him over slowly, stroking with my hand what I couldn’t reach with my mouth.

My eyes watered and my throat protested as I pushed him further. I sucked on his cock like it was the world’s best lollipop, and by the sounds coming from his mouth, Jax was satisfied with my work.

His grunts turned to harsh pants as he tried to control his breathing. I could taste precum from his slit, and right as I felt him about to release, he sat up and pushed me off him. He sent me a hard glare and shook his head.

I knew he would do that. Even in highschool, he’d never come in my mouth. I had no idea why.

“Get up,” he rasped. I quickly obeyed as he scooted back further on the bed. A condom was the furthest thought from my mind as I eyed him. I swung one leg over each side of his body.

His hands found my hips again, before moving up to cradle my small breasts. I could feel my pussy lips brushing against the side of his cock from where I was sitting. My head fell back when his fingers ghosted over my nipples before he pinched me.

I gasped and my hand flew to his length. It looked angry and red. Veins were pulsing and I knew I wanted him inside me again. I lifted myself off his lap slightly and guided his length to my core.

I moaned wantonly when he grazed over my swollen pussy lips. His cock twitched in my hand. I moved him so that his head was seated at my entrance, then I slid down on him, hard and fast.

He groaned beneath me and the shock of my speed made him sit up and bite down on my shoulder. I gasped at the small amount of pleasure I felt in the pain of it all.

I could feel the tip of his cock pressed flush against me, inside me. I had always loved it better without a glove. He felt warmer, less muted. I felt closer to him and I knew it would bring a new wave of intensity to it all.

My kitty clenched around him when he didn’t move. He grunted out a small curse before falling back onto the bed. I rested my hands on his chest, using it as my leverage. Then I raised myself up, slowly dragging his length from me.

I didn’t pull all the way out. I let his head kiss the inside of my very opening for just a second, before I fell back against him. In this position, I got to pick the pace.

Fast thrust, slow release. I knew it was painful for him, but I liked it. The residual slap of my ass cheeks against the top of his thighs was music to my ears as I kept going. I circled my hips when I reached his base, grinding against him and making his cock twitch inside me.

_“Jay…”_ I whispered, my eyes closed. I don’t even really know if the word slipped from my lips. My tongue felt the taste of his name but the word fell on deaf ears. I could barely hear anything as my heartbeat thundered in my eardrums.

They drowned out everything.

Jax thrust up against me, making me jolt and my head whip around. My lips were parted, my breath panting in time with his newfound urgency. He thrust up inside me, meeting me halfway and making us speed up. My body bounced on his cock as I rode him into oblivion.

I leaned forward and my hands found his headboard as I needed a new angle. I held on for dear life as he used me the way I loved to be used.

My release surprised me and hit me like a truck out of nowhere. I let out a moan as my orgasm washed over me and I became a toy in his arms as he continued thrusting. His grunts brought me back down to earth as my head felt light.

His pace hadn’t slowed, but I could feel him twitching incessantly inside me. He was so close, so I leaned down, pressing my chest against his.

He rolled us over as I pressed my lips to his. My legs bent at the knee as Jax bit my lip and let out a harsh grunt. Then I felt his cock kick inside me. His first jet of cum coated my inner walls and I moaned. I hadn’t felt that in such a long time.

I had never had sex with Mikey without a condom, but that was more his rule than mine. I liked the way it felt without one – rawer, more intimate.

Jax’s hands clamped down on my neck and arm with a tight grip as he grunted through his release. I bucked against him as I rode with him. My hands were locked to the muscles in his biceps and shoulders, feeling them tense and roll beneath my fingertips.

His lips were hard on mine and I thought I tasted blood from where he’d taken my bottom lip between his teeth. I didn’t care. As we both came down, he stayed seated inside me. Jax collapsed against me and I felt the entire weight of his large body.

The pressure felt amazing as I felt his length begin to soften between my walls. His hand ghosted down and his fingers circled and rubbed at my clit, pulling me through the final aftershocks of my orgasm.

I sighed against his skin, tasting blood and sweat. All I could smell was sex mixed with his cologne of cigarettes and car grease. He finally pulled out of me, bringing his fingers to my opening and gathering a mixture of his cum and mine.

He brought his fingers up to my lips and pushed them inside, letting me taste the mix of us together. Before I could moan, his fingers retreated and were replaced quickly with the mashing of his tongue against mine.

My eyes squeezed closed as I let him take what he wanted from my mouth, because I reciprocated. We both took the things we needed from each other, and I hadn’t realized that that is what I needed.

My core felt raw and as the cold air of the room blew across it, I couldn’t help but sigh. Jax had given me my first orgasms in months and it would take me a while to come down from that feeling.

Jax fell on his back and pulled me across his chest. I pressed my lips to his neck, making my own mark there as he’d put on my body. Our legs wrapped together and his cock was pressed up against my stomach as I splayed across him.

His breaths became deeper as he relaxed into the mattress. He pressed a kiss into my hair as his arms wound around my waist. My own hands rested on his chest and arms as we laid wrapped up in each other.

My eyes fell closed with exhaustion. Our activities of the night had taken more out of me than I had expected, and I was spent, in more ways than one.

“Sleep, doll,” Jax whispered into my hair as he stroked the skin at my waist and ass, squeezing the flesh slightly.

I let out a breathy moan as I let myself succumb to my exhaustion.

.

**Literally fucked her ‘til she passed out.**


	18. 16

#  **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

Waking up was horrible.

I felt sticky and hot. I grimaced when I looked down to find a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. We had somehow moved into a spooning position during the night and I could now feel Jax’s dick pressed against my back.

It wasn’t the most comfortable.

I could also feel his chest pressed against me, and to be honest, he was making me feel like I was sitting in a sauna. Our legs were twisted together and I could feel his slow breaths ghosting over the back of my head.

Whoever sprouted this ideal that waking up in a guy’s arms is romantic is fucking wrong. It’s uncomfortable and it makes you feel like you’re trapped in a fucking prison of muscle.

Usually, if you move too much, the guy gets morning wood which only pokes harder into your back and only makes the situation more awkward. I sighed, rolling my eyes and trying to pry Jax’s arms away from me.

He gave a grunt of protest but let me go. Probably better that he did too. He knew from experience that I’d kick him if he didn’t let me up to pee. I tiptoed to the bathroom, trying my best not to wake him up.

Despite how great last night had been, I didn’t really fancy the early morning awkward conversation about it all. I spotted my clothes discarded in different spots all over the floor. I grabbed my underwear and my t-shirt, quickly pulling them on as I stumbled to the bathroom. My jeans were the last thing to come on, and I’d do that inside because as any girl knows, skinny jeans are the single hardest item of clothing to put on and you’re definitely not silent in the process.

After I was done in the bathroom, I was going to get out of here.

I knew it was a horrible thing to do to leave your one-night stand without an explanation, but that’s exactly how this had to go. I couldn’t put myself through all of this with Jax again. Not after the last time ended so badly.

This could only be a one-time thing. We couldn’t go further than that.

_Remember_ , I told myself, _there’s a reason you moved town last time…_

I nodded to myself, closing the door behind me. A cursory glance in the mirror showed me that my crop of hair had been flattened on one side, and was sticking up in all directions on the other. My cheeks were flushed and I could see a small hickey forming at my collarbone.

My fingers ghosted over my lips, noting that they were swollen. I peeled my bottom lip back before I ran my fingers under the faucet. I washed away the small amount of blood there from where Jax’s bite had broken the skin. There was a little clot forming there that would hopefully go away within a day.

Did you know that your mouth heals almost ten times faster than almost any other body part? True story.

I ran my hands under the water again before stringing them through my hair, giving it a simple styling and trying to tame the tangles. I managed to give some volume to the flattened area, and to tone down the bed head on the other side. Then I fixed my face with some cold water to wake me up.

There was some eyeliner smudged around my eyes but thankfully it was subtle enough not to make me look like some kind of deranged mental patient. I pulled on my jeans, struggling only slightly and gripping the sink when I almost fell over.

Finally, I managed to pull them up and button them. I pulled my phone from my back pocket. My eyes laid on the countless stream of unread messages and missed calls from Mikey. Tears sprang to my eyes, surprising me.

As I opened one of the messages, I started to read through the threads. There were hundreds of ‘I’m sorry’s’ and ‘where are you?’s’ and ‘can’t we at least talk about this?’

A tear fell down my cheek and I grimaced as I wiped it away. I didn’t realize just how hurt I’d been by Mikey’s betrayal. I mean, he’d been seeing Tyler for a month at least, probably more though. He’d gone behind my back – they both had – and I didn’t know quite how to deal with it all.

_Was I not good enough?_

_Was I not worth an explanation?_

I sighed, wiping my eyes and staring at my face in the mirror.

“You’re better than this,” I whispered to myself. “You are strong. Mikey is an asshole and you don’t need him.”

_You’re twenty-nine, Etsuko. You should be settled down with a few kids by now,_ my mother’s voice rang in my head. _The real reason he left you is because you didn’t satisfy him. He turned to a man because you will never be good enough, thin enough, smart enough._

_You’re insignificant._

I gasped, thrusting my fist into my mouth to bite down on something to stop from screaming. Tears rushed down my cheeks as I allowed myself a few muted sobs for my dead relationship.

I knew my mother’s words weren’t true, but they cut deep all the same. Because in reality, the only two serious relationships I’d had were Jax and Mikey. Jax was wrong for me in every way and my scorn for his club is what had pulled us apart. Mikey – I had thought – was right for me because he was the complete opposite of Jax. He was kind and caring – at least in the beginning of our relationship – and he was attentive.

If the bad boy was no good, but neither was the boy next door, who would finally tick all my boxes – or rather, my parent’s boxes.

I sighed and stood up straight, wiping away the tears with an air of finality. I washed my face again, trying to rid it of the redness. I straightened out my shirt, trying to get rid of some of the wrinkles before I took a deep breath.

I was going to get out of here and I was going to get on with my life. No more Mikey, no more Jax, just me moving forward with my case and then getting the hell out of this damn town full of nightmares and heartbreak.

_You’re running_.

No. I’m growing up.

With one last glare at my reflection, I opened the bathroom door. Jax was still fast asleep, so I tiptoed across the room and picked up my shoes. I grabbed my car keys from where they’d been tossed on the ground, making sure they didn’t clash together and make any kind of sound. Then I made my way from the bedroom.

As I shut Jax’s door behind me softly, I could’ve sworn I heard him start to wake. So, I quickly made my way through his apartment and flew down the stairs. I ran through his garage and jumped into my car before practically speeding out of the lot.

_You’re running._

No. I’m maturing.

_You’re scared._

“No, I’m not,” I said to myself. “I’m just taking care of me for a change.”

.

“So, you broke up with him?”

I sighed into the phone. Capris was on her lunch break and had called me to talk about some party she wanted to go to on the weekend. We were too old for parties, I’d rather just have a casual drink at a bar but I guess she wanted to rope me into it just to ditch me and sleep with some guy.

“Yeah. I mean, we just weren’t working anymore,” I said vaguely. For some reason, I wasn’t ready to go spouting to her that my boyfriend was actually gay and cheating on me with one of our other best friends.

I wasn’t ready to hear Capris tell me ‘I told you so’ for hours on end. It had all only happened last night and so I was still processing it myself.

Capris snorted through the phone. “I’ll say. Guy couldn’t give good dick to save his life.”

I rolled my eyes.

“So, you need a girls night to take your mind off it?” she asked. I chuckled.

“Not quite.”

Capris whistled. “Come on girl, we gotta find you a good new soldier to sit on so you can fuck your problems away.”

I laughed. “That won’t be necessary.”

Capris gasped. “Bitch, did you find new dick without me? Was it perhaps a blond biker who’s been chasing you for weeks? Was he good? At least, as good as you remember?”

I rolled my eyes. Capris didn’t need to know she’d hit the nail right on the head. “No, I just meant that I’m not ready for any of that. I’m just going to throw myself into my case and get the hell out of this town as fast as I can.”

Capris laughed but I could imagine her pouting at me turning her down on her quest for sex. She sighed. “Fine, be boring. But I’m here for when you’re ready to get back on the horse. I know plenty of well endowed guys who could show you a good time for a night or two…”

I rolled my eyes at her suggestion. “I’m good,” I laughed. “I’ll call you later. Now go get back to your class, they’re probably burning the place down without you.”

Capris gave a non-committal snort. “If they are, it’s not my problem for another fifteen minutes. That’s when my break ends.”

I laughed. “I don’t even know how or why they hired you.”

Capris chuckled. “Me neither but I’ll count my lucky stars ‘til they come to their senses and let me go. Have a good one, babe.”

“You too,” I laughed before hanging up the phone. Then I turned around and walked from the empty room I was stood in. I was at an apartment that was for lease for a while.

I needed a new place to live now that I wasn’t at Mikey’s, and there was no way I was spending the rest of this case sleeping on Imogen’s couch. She was sure to get sick of me, and I liked my own space.

At the rate the case was going, it could be at least another month until I solved it and found this damn drug dealing kid, so it would be nice to have a place for a while.

When I walked out of the bedroom, I made my way to the living room where I had left the realtor.

“Sorry about that, I just had to take that call,” I said, looking up from my phone and shoving it into my pocket. My eyes widened when they fell on the realtor. She wasn’t alone in the room.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Holly said. “It gave me a chance to speak with your boyfriend. He’s got a clear idea of some of the perks you’re seeking in an apartment.”

My eyes narrowed on the tall, leather wrapped man standing beside my realtor. My eyebrow ticked at her use of the word ‘boyfriend’, when he was certainly anything but.

“Oh, he did, did he?” I glared at Jax, becoming increasingly annoyed at the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Holly the realtor nodded enthusiastically. I gave her a cursory glance.

“Sorry to do this again, Holly, but would you mind if I just spoke privately with my… _boyfriend_ … for a while?” I asked. Jax’s eyes didn’t leave mine as I watched his shoulders shake with silent laughter.

“Oh, of course,” the woman said. “Take your time, I know how difficult it can be for couples to decide on their new home.” The woman seemed oblivious to the death glare slapped across my face and Jax just grinned at the mention of us as a couple.

I gave her a nod of appreciation before I turned and walked back into the bedroom. I heard Jax’s soft footfalls as he followed me. Wanting to get as much distance between us and the woman as possible – in order to have as private a conversation as we could – I kept walking until I ended up in the bathroom.

Jax shut the door behind him before sending me a large smirk.

“Already trying to get me alone, babe? I’ll be honest, I thought it would take a little longer but I’m not complaining.”

I glared at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jax shrugged. “I thought it was obvious. I’m helping you find an apartment.”

“Why? What’s in it for you? I don’t need your help with any of this.”

He grinned. “Well if your taste in apartments is anything like your taste in boyfriends, then yes, I’d say you _do_ need my help.”

I scoffed. “You’ve just looped yourself into that particular insult. I seem to remember that we dated.”

Jax grinned and took a step forward. I took a step backwards, trying to maintain a safe distance between us. A safe distance, because I didn’t trust myself and my actions if he were to try something.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged. “But I’m here to help anyway. Besides, I gotta know where I’m going for late night booty-calls.”

My mouth dropped and I punched him in the arm.

“You’re disgusting. Coming to you last night was a lapse in judgement, I’ll admit,” I hissed, “But it was a one-time thing. And sleeping with you once doesn’t change anything between us.”

Jax grinned, taking another step forward. I stepped back again and found myself trapped between the shower, and him.

“Oh, I beg to differ, doll. I think you coming to me last night changes everything,” he smirked. “And, _technically,_ it was more like four or five times, no?”

I glared at him, my eyes widened when he took one last step towards me, trapping me against his body. His hands travelled to my waist and gripped my hips, pressing me into him.

“I’m going to tell you something,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. It became low and husky, the exact tone that he knew turned me on. His voice was guttural and grating. It sent shivers down my spine and he knew it.

I gave him a look of defiance, trying to ignore the way my body reacted to his.

“When I woke up this morning, I expected that we might fool around a bit, sort of like an encore to last night,” he said. Then he cocked his eyebrow. “What I didn’t expect, was that I’d wake up to find that you had skipped out on your merry way, leaving me to deal with a raging hard on and the taste of you still on my lips, driving me crazy.”

My eyes closed as his words ghosted over me. His face leant down close to mine, enough that I could smell his soap. One of his hands lifted from my waist and came up to thumb my bottom lip.

My lips parted slightly for him, but I couldn’t see his reaction. I didn’t want to stare at the satisfied look that was surely on his face. His thumb travelled down and gripped at my chin, tilting my head upwards and making me open my eyes.

He wasn’t smirking. But he was looking at me like he was hungry. His eyes were dark and focused on mine. He wasn’t being playful anymore.

“I thought you knew better than to run out without saying goodbye,” he whispered. I frowned.

“It’s better this way–”

“Bullshit,” he cut me off. He pressed his lips to mine and I gasped at his speed. His scent engulfed me and I gripped at the sleeves of his leather jacket as I leaned into our kiss. I hated the way he made me feel helpless.

I hated it.

_You’re weak_.

Whatever.

Jax finally pulled back and gave me a small smirk. My eyes were wide as if I could still feel his tongue roaming the inside of my mouth.

“So, why am I here?” he asked. “Well, babe. I came for my encore.”

His eyes darkened before he leaned in to kiss me again. His leg came and rested between mine as he wrapped an arm around my waist. The other travelled up my shirt and cupped at my breast.

I moaned as I felt him reach under my bra and toy with my nipple. Jax chuckled at my reaction, pushing his tongue into my mouth again. My ears were ringing as I gripped onto him.

Then I felt his other hand creep into the waistband of my jeans. His palm caressed my ass cheek, squeezing it slightly, making me squirm. My hands found their way under his shirt too and I ran my knuckles over the ripples of his abdomen and up to his pectoral muscles.

He pulled away from my lips and gave me a cheeky grin. “What do you think, babe? I reckon you should always test the acoustics before buying a place.”

Before I could register what he’d said, he’d popped the button on my jeans and his hand and dived down to my pussy. I gasped as he rubbed me in slow circles through my thong. Then he pushed it to the side and his fingers found my clit.

I gasped as I leaned into him, my eyes fluttering closed. He worked me over with the quick flick of his fingers, relentless. He pinched me every now and then before he then moved his fingers down to my core.

His palm ground against my hardened nub as he pushed two fingers into my pussy. I moaned and Jax chuckled. He thrust slowly with his fingers and I could do anything but grip onto him as he then added a third finger.

I was panting and rubbing against his hand as I felt everything beginning to build up inside me. I threw my head back as it all came crashing down. My eyes were closed tightly and his fingers were speeding up, riding me through every emotion and every thrust and every zing of pleasure that ripped through me.

As he coasted me through the jolts of my aftershocks, my body convulsing in his hands, my breathing started to calm down. I held on for dear life as I felt like my legs were about to give out.

Jax chuckled before he finally removed his hands from my pants and stepped back. The release of his body from mine brought me back to reality. I quickly fixed myself up, adjusting my underwear and buttoning my jeans as I watched him clean his fingers under running water. He sent me a smirk and I glared at him.

“This changes absolutely nothing,” I said before I walked forwards, trying to brush past him. Jax chuckled and his arm caught me around the waist.

He pinched my hip as his mouth came down on mine. I let myself kiss him, letting my tongue inside his mouth, tasting everything. My body felt raw and every movement of my swollen pussy lips against my thong was driving me nuts.

Jax finally broke our kiss and looked down at me with a grin.

“Deny it all you want, babe.”

I rolled my eyes and moved past him. Right as I was about to walk out the door, I felt the slap of his palm against my ass. I stopped short, taking a deep breath through my nose as my fists balled at my sides. I hated that I loved that feeling.

It had sent a shock through me and made my pussy clench. With a minute shake of my head I walked out of the bathroom and back to talk to my realtor, trying to ignore what exactly I’d just allowed Jax to do, and what it surely meant for me now.

.

**I have nothing arrogant or witty or sarcastic to say here because I’m too busy cracking myself up in my head.**

**I can’t help it, the banter between them is just too fun to write.**


	19. 17

#  **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**Everly**

I set my coffee mug down on the metal table. The girl in front of me gave me a bored stare. Her hands were cuffed to the table and we were the only ones in the room.

I placed my case files down on the cool steel before taking my seat.

“So,” I began, “You’ve refused to speak with the officer who brought you in, and also with the chief. They were hoping that a female presence would make you more comfortable.”

The girl didn’t answer me with words, but she did raise her eyebrow at me and roll her eyes. I could see the hint of a smirk playing about her lips. I chuckled.

“I assumed you’d react this way.” I flipped open one of my files, specifically, her arrest report and began to read aloud.

“Picked up for possession of more than 50 grams of a drug of dependence on your person, and for supplying drugs to a minor – your third offence this year. The officer who arrested you observed you deal drugs on two accounts, and approached you before a third deal was made. You tried to outrun the officer, but he got you cornered with the help of a citizen in the main street.”

I looked up from the file at the girl. It was obvious this wasn’t her first time in an interrogation room. Even if I hadn’t already read her complete file, I would’ve been able to tell from the way she was staring behind me at her reflection in the one-way glass. Her eyes were hard as they slid back to meet mine.

“I won’t talk,” she said simply. I paused before shrugging.

“Didn’t expect you would, Miss Ventura.”

The girl narrowed her eyes at me as I used her given name.

“Don’t call me that.”

Her command was biting, as if she’d almost had to spit the words through her teeth. She was wearing a glare that I’m sure she’d perfected from her time in Juvie. It was all in her record. I smiled slowly, knowing I had caused her a little discomfort.

If she wasn’t going to talk from sweet words and polite commands, then I could get her to lash out in anger and hopefully give me what I wanted.

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s your name, isn’t it, Amy?”

The girl glared at her handcuffs as she fiddled with her nails. The green polish on them was chipped and the nails themselves were jagged from where she’d bitten them. The skin around her nails was ripped and pink.

“It’s not.”

I shrugged. “Well, it’s the only one we’ve got in the system under your prints, so it’s the one I’m going with.”

The girl glared at me and my calm outgoing appearance. I took a sip from my coffee, leaning back in my chair as our eyes locked. I refused to be the first to break it, and the girl was beginning to grow frustrated. I could see a fire behind her steely gaze.

“Ventura is the name of an abusive asshole that I refuse to be associated with,” she said lowly. I nodded once.

“So, tell me,” I said. “Did you get yourself into Juvenile Detention to get away from her.”

Amy was quiet for a while. She didn’t need to answer me, because despite whatever she might have said, the transcripts of her guidance sessions during Juvie were a part of her file. I knew all about Amy’s mother and how she liked to take her anger out on her daughter.

I tried a different approach.

“Well, Amy, what would you prefer I call you?”

The girl looked up, showing me a flash of vulnerability in her eyes before she hardened them, protecting herself from the world around her. She’d been doing it for years, it was obvious.

However, it was also obvious that she was scared, and it was my job to find out why.

She kept a steady rhythm as she bounced her leg under the table. A strand of her hair had fallen in front of her face and she kept glancing at it nervously as if it were a habit to tuck it behind her ear. Then there was the fidgeting with her hands.

“Needles,” she said.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I’m sorry?”

“Needles,” she repeated, shrugging. “Some kids in Juvie used to call me that. Guess its become my name now.”

I refused to let her know how much this small piece of information had just affected me. My informant – the one who had been the first to tell me about Scotty and Hale running drugs for a few dealers in town – had mentioned someone named Needles once before.

“Why did they call you that?” I asked. None of this was part of her file but I guess I should have suspected that the kids in those facilities all had secrets that the adults weren’t privy to.

Amy shrugged.

“Could be a few things,” she admitted. “Got out of my first pair of cuffs with a hair pin in nine seconds. Used to steal medicine for some of the guys in my hallway when they felt like getting high.” She lifted her wrist slightly so I could see the faint white lines on her skin. “Used to cut before the security guards took away everything sharp in my room.”

I nodded, trying to stop the frown wanting to slip onto my face.

“So, am I to assume that the reason you haven’t broken out of the handcuffs you’re currently wearing is because–”

“Is because I don’t want to,” she interrupted me with a raised eyebrow. I nodded for her to continue but she just shrugged. “Could break out of ‘em in seconds and you wouldn’t even know it, but it just so happens that you lot have something I want more.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I’ve heard from a few people about a dealer named Needles,” I said carefully. Amy raised her eyebrow, daring me to continue. I opened one of my other files, the one with Phillips’ and Hale’s mug shots inside. I twisted the folder so it faced her.

She glanced down at the mug shots before her eyes darted back to mine.

“You say you want something,” I said carefully. “Before I give anything to you, I want to know something in return.”

Amy smirked. “You wanna know if I know ‘em?”

I shook my head. “No. I know you know them.” Amy frowned and I shrugged. “I mean, I assume you do. Okeechobee is a pretty small town. I’d assume that each drug dealer has constant tabs on the other dealers in their town, just to make sure that no one’s customers are heading elsewhere for a fix.”

Amy eyed me. “You’re smarter than you look.”

I chuckled. “I could say the same about you.”

She gave a hard sigh. “So then, what _do_ you want?”

“I want to know who or what has got you scared enough to let yourself be arrested.”

I watched her mouth fall into a flat line and her eyes flicked to the glass behind me. She gave her head a minute shake.

“Can’t trust you. She’s got eyes everywhere…” Amy finally whispered to me. I frowned.

_“Who?”_

Amy shook her head as a sliver of doubt crossed her features. Her hands clenched into fists. She shook her head again with an air of finality.

“I want a lawyer,” she said harshly, “And immunity… and witness protection.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Those are pretty high demands, Amy, especially since you’ve given me nothing.” The girl bit her lip and I watched the knuckles in her hands go white. “I can’t give you witness protection because you haven’t actually admitted to _witnessing_ anything.”

She leveled me with a stare. “Give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you’re _really_ here for,” she said. “I have information that I know could help you, but I want protection.”

I frowned, leaning back and crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m sorry, Amy. I’m going to need more than that.”

I watched her eyes flick to the glass behind me again before she licked her lips. She sighed.

She pointed at the picture of Scotty. “I’ve seen him before. He was at a homeless shelter downtown the other day. He was asking around for someone named Bailey.”

I shrugged, not letting my true emotions show. This was a new lead in my case and I was ecstatic, but this wasn’t the information that I knew Amy was alluding to. This kind of tip wasn’t something worth demanding protection over.

I knew what would break her though. I knew what would push her to confess. “That’s not enough to warrant immunity and witness protection. I’m sorry, Amy.” With that I got up from my seat and gathered my files, making for the door. If Amy was anything like who I expected she was, I was playing on her insecurities and fear.

I was showing her that this was her last chance to give me something to work with. For all she knew, this was her last chance to be safe from whatever – or whoever – had her scared out of her mind.

My hand fell on the door handle.

“ _Wait!_ ” she hissed. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at her nonchalantly. I waited for her to speak again.

“I was there,” she finally whispered. I frowned.

“Where?”

_“I was there when Benji was shoved into that car and beaten to death with a seatbelt clip.”_

.

“So, she supposedly witnessed a murder?” Imogen asked. I nodded, frowning. We were standing at her desk going over Amy’s interrogation tape. The whole thing was recorded, so I was sifting through it for anything I might have missed.

“Yeah, but I don’t think that that’s all she’s hiding. She was way too skittish for that confession to be what she was really afraid of,” I said, crossing my arms.

Imogen shrugged. “Maybe she’s just scared that whoever offed Hale will come after her because she saw it all go down?”

I frowned. “Maybe,” I admitted, shaking my head slightly. “But I’m not sure. My gut is telling me it’s something else…” I trailed off. Amy had gotten what she’d wanted for the time being.

Admitting to being the witness to a murder definitely gave her witness protection for the moment. It was too late in the day to go over anything else, so she was currently being transported to a secure location for her safety. She’d be carted back to the precinct in the morning to go over anything else she could give us.

She could enjoy all the benefits of witness protection for at least one night. Tomorrow, I’d find out if she was lying or not.

“So, I heard you bought a new place?” Imogen asked after I’d been silent for a while.

I nodded. “Leased,” I clarified, “But, yeah. Thanks for letting me use your couch for a few nights, but now that Mikey and I have officially split, I thought it better that I have my own space for the rest of the case.”

Imogen nodded. “Oh yeah, I totally get it.”

I’d told Immy a week ago when it had happened, the day after I’d signed the short-term lease on the apartment where Jax and I had… well, let’s just say that Jax was right about testing the acoustics.

I hadn’t seen him since, and I wasn’t that bothered about it. He’d been exactly the fling that I’d needed, and neither of us had been clingy, so it was really just the fuck that I needed to get Mikey out of my system for good.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before rubbing at my eyes.

“Girl, go home. You deserve some sleep right now. We’ve just had a major crack in our case and we can start on it first thing in the morning.”

I shook my head. “No way. I have to go to that homeless shelter and ask around about Phillips.”

Imogen frowned at me. “Hon, I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s probably not even there anymore. Besides, there’ll be talk that the girl was arrested, and having a cop go snooping around where she normally hangs out is only going to spook everyone. Leave it until tomorrow, at least.”

I sighed. I hated how logical she sounded. I wanted to get this case over with as fast as I could and this was only setting me back. But, on the other hand, I’d had a shit sleep for a week in my new apartment because the bed was second hand and the mattress wasn’t great. Plus, I was used to a second body in between the sheets to keep me warm.

I just couldn’t seem to keep warm these days.

I sighed and nodded. “Fine, yeah. I’ll go home.”

“And rest,” Imogen chuckled. “Promise me you’ll actually sleep and not just work this case from home?”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my fingers behind my back. “I promise.”

Ten minutes later I was in my car on my way to my shit hole apartment. I trudged up the stairs and finally found myself outside my front door. I let out a tired sigh but stopped short when I heard an odd noise.

There was cheering and a whistle blowing. I frowned before busting open my door. I narrowed my eyes and glared as my line of sight fell on the tall blond asshole sitting on _my_ couch, drinking _my_ beer and watching _my_ television.

And watching football no less. I scanned the rest of the room. Daphne was perched on a nearby armchair with a look of disdain plastered across her furry features.

I turned back to Jax and glared at him. He finally seemed to notice that I was here and he sent me a smirk.

“Hey, babe. I was beginning to wonder what kind of trouble you’d gotten yourself into.”

My fists curled at my sides and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath in through my nose, calming myself down. I opened my eyes and threw my keys into the bowl at my front door, then kicked off my shoes.

I ignored the man on my sofa, deciding that I was too tired to be angry. I stalked past him and into my bedroom. I got changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top, bra be damned. Then I came back into the living room, passing by in front of Jax.

I watched as his eyes moved from the television to follow my ass as I walked to the kitchen, grabbing my own beer. When I stood up from where I’d bent into the refrigerator, I saw Jax grin at being caught staring at me.

I rolled my eyes and popped the cap on my drink before taking a swig. I walked back to the living room and sat myself on the couch seeing as Daphne was occupying the only other seat.

And I _did not_ feel like making her move.

I sighed and took another swig of my beer, trying to focus on the game.

“So, who’s playing?” I asked.

Jax shrugged. “The UFC Knights and the Memphis Tigers.”

I groaned in frustration. “Why do you like college football games so much? At least put on a good game, like the Patriots playing literally anyone else.”

Jax chuckled. “Because those games are no good, because it’s no fun when you already know who’s going to win.”

I shrugged. “Makes betting easier though.”

Jax laughed. I pulled my feet up and sat cross-legged on the sofa as I took another swig.

I cast Jax a sideways glance. “And why, pray tell, are you watching this game on my television, in my apartment instead of your own.”

Jax shrugged. “Excuse to see you?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I call bullshit,” I said simply. Jax grinned at my brashness.

“I forgot to pay my cable bill,” he admitted. I rolled my eyes.

“Figures.”

We were silent for a while, watching as the Knights scored a touchdown. Not surprising. I sighed again, closing my eyes and resting my head back against the sofa.

“Bad day?”

I shook my head, eyes still closed. “Great one, actually. I found a new lead in my case.”

“The one with the dead kid.”

I nodded, sneaking a glance at him. It felt weird to have a civil conversation with my ex-boyfriend. I was used to just being annoyed with him and wanting to rip his head off because of the smirk on his lips. But, right now, I was too exhausted to even really care that he’d broken into my apartment just to piss off my cat and watch football on my television.

And right now, he was just sitting comfortably in my space, doing his own thing. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had sat with Mikey and we’d been comfortable doing our own thing.

Why was it so much easier to relax in Jax’s presence? I couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t figure _him_ out.

He was different than the kid I’d dated in high school. This Jax was taller and buffer, and definitely had more tattoos. But there were also other things that were new, like the edge to his voice and the hard lines in his face.

He’d seen some shit, and it must have changed him.

I let myself block out the noise of the tv, focusing instead on my breathing and the fact that I knew my body was giving up on me. I knew I was falling asleep on this couch but somehow, I didn’t have a problem with it.

Before I nodded off, I moved closer to Jax on the couch, resting my head against his shoulder. In the morning I would tell myself that I did it because I was cold.

But there were other reasons. Jax took my mind off things, and I liked that.

And hours later, when I was in and out of sleep, I could have sworn that when the game ended and he turned off the screen, Jax picked me up and carried me to my bed where he tucked me in.

The only other explanation was that I walked there in my sleep because when I woke up the next morning, Jax was long gone. There was a slight indent on the other side of my bed, but that could’ve just been from me rolling over during the night.

Who knows…

.

**Casual settings and comfortable romance is one of my favorite things.**


	20. 18

#  **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Everly**

“I want to talk to her,” I said, my voice becoming slightly desperate. Wells shook his head at me.

“I’m sorry, Detective–”

“You don’t understand, Sir. I _need_ to talk to her. She’s the only one who’s given me anything to work with for my dead-end case.”

Chief Wells sighed. He ran a hand through his thinning hair as he stared at me from behind his desk. “It’s out of my hands, Shimura. Her lawyer has instructed her not to speak on anything further until she’s been placed into proper Witness Protection.”

I frowned, resisting the urge to throw a chair across the room out of frustration.

“I understand your anger, Detective, but for the time being you’ll just have to use her interrogation tape for your case. There’s nothing I can do.”

“But, Sir… she confessed to witnessing a murder. It’s standard protocol to keep her in the interrogation room until she can give us a full statement.”

He shook his head. “Only if she’s willing, Detective, and as I’ve said, her lawyer has advised her not to speak and the girl has chosen to take his advice.”

I sighed, running a jittery hand through my hair. “Fine,” I uttered, reaching for the door handle, “I guess I’ll just sit on my ass and do nothing seeing as I’ve been through that damn tape four times already.”

Before Wells could reply, I ripped open the door and stormed from the room. I locked eyes with Imogen across the bullpen, she gave me a sympathetic look. I made my way across the room of desks and into the break room.

I stalked to the vending machine and hastily shoved some money in, getting a packet of gummy bears. I tore it open and began to feast. I usually didn’t allow myself much sugar, but in this case, it was going to help calm me down.

“So, Wells denied your request to question her?” Imogen voiced from behind me. I turned around. She had closed the door so that we were the only ones in the break room. “And you’re gonna do whatever you want, anyway?” she guessed.

I raised an eyebrow at her in silence and she grinned.

“Cool, so tell me, what’s the plan?”

I sighed. “I’m going to the homeless shelter.”

Imogen frowned. “Ev, I thought we talked about how that wasn’t a good idea.”

I shook my head, tossing another gummy bear into my mouth. “I don’t care. I want this case over with. I’m going and you can’t stop me.”

Imogen sighed and I watched as the wheels began turning behind her eyes. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“What?” I asked. “What are you thinking?”

Imogen shrugged, giving me a wild look. “I think it’s still too dangerous for a cop to go snooping around there.”

“So?”

“ _So…_ Why don’t we get someone who _isn’t_ a cop to go and ask some questions? Someone shady enough who looks like they have friends in a place like that. Someone that people wouldn’t question or look twice at. We’ll get ‘em mic’d up and give ‘em an earpiece and we can tell ‘em what to say.”

“Undercover? It’s not a bad idea,” I mused as I considered it. I frowned, “But who are we gonna get to agree to that…?”

Imogen smirked at me and I finally caught on to what she was hinting at. I glared, vehemently shaking my head.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Imogen laughed, giving me her puppy dog eyes. “Come on, Ev. You know it would work…” she pleaded. I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

“It’s not happening,” I said. “I refuse to work with him.”

Imogen rolled her eyes and smirked at me.

“Come on, Ev. This could be your last shot…” she trailed off, sending me a cheeky smile. I glared at her. She was not going to persuade me with such words.

.

“So, why am I here?”

“We’re not doing this.” I glared at Imogen. I hated that this plan was the only one we could think of that would work.

“Yes, we are,” she said. She just grinned triumphantly at me before turning back to our – in my eyes, unwelcome – guest. I grudgingly, also turned to face him.

“We were wondering if you could help us with our case. We hoped that you could be discreet and follow orders,” Imogen voiced. Jax raised an eyebrow at her before turning to me.

“Seriously?” he asked, the hint of a grin. I glared at him and he smirked. “Aright,” he nodded, “I’ll help.”

“That’s so great–” Imogen started but Jax held up a finger to silence her.

“But only if she–” he pointed at me, “–asks for it herself.” I glared at the man before me. He sent me a self-assured smirk, knowing he had me in the palm of his hand. He crossed his arms over his chest and Imogen sent me a pleading look.

I shook my head. “Not a chance,” I muttered. Jax shrugged and made for the door.

“Wait!” Imogen tried. Jax hesitated, casting a glance over his shoulder. Imogen gripped onto my forearm and dug her fingers into my skin. The bite of pain would be worth not losing my pride over. “Come on, Ev. Stop being stubborn, you know he’s our only shot,” she hissed.

I rolled my eyes and glared at the floor. “Fine! _Fuck!_ ” I snapped. Jax turned to face me with a smirk. I took a deep breath. “Jax, will you help with this damn fucking case?”

Jax pretended to consider my proposition, tapping a finger on his chin. He raised an eyebrow at me before wagging his finger. “Did your mother not teach you any manners?” he teased. I glared.

I swatted his finger away. “Don’t fucking push it, Jackson.”

Jax laughed. “Well, was that so hard?” he asked, before clapping his hands. “Right, well, why don’t you two tell me exactly what you need my help with?”

Imogen nodded and led us down to the evidence room where we would have some privacy to discuss the case. Once we were surrounded by the safety of the boxes in the evidence lock up, I turned to Jax.

“We’re going on today’s expedition against our chief’s orders,” I said. Jax raised his eyebrow in slight shock but didn’t say anything. “We’re investigating the new lead I mentioned yesterday.”

Imogen sent me an odd look. She didn’t know I’d been in recent contact with Jax, and definitely didn’t know about our romp in the sheets, nor the football game we’d watched together last night.

Jax nodded. “The one about the murder.”

Imogen’s eyes widened. “You told him about the murder?” her voice was incredulous.

I rolled my eyes. “The car was at his shop when we found the kid inside, now shush,” I told her. Imogen put her hands up in an act of surrender and chuckled. Jax grinned down at me.

“Still as feisty as I remember.”

I glared at him. “Shut up and let me talk.” I sighed. “Yesterday a young girl was arrested. She told me that she was a witness to the murder and now she’s in protective custody. But, before that, she told me that she’d seen Angus Phillips at the homeless shelter downtown asking around for someone named Bailey.”

Jax frowned. “So, what do you need me for?”

“I was getting to that,” I said. Imogen put a hand on my arm, sensing that I was losing what little of a cool head that I had. He was pissing me off.

“The girl we arrested was one of the best dealers in town. News of her arrest will have surely made the rounds among her peers and customers. If either of us were to go around asking questions, it would spook everyone,” Imogen said. “So basically, we want to mic you up and give you an earpiece and then have you go to the homeless shelter where Phillips was seen and see if you can find out anything about him or Bailey or the girl.”

Jax whistled. “Interesting,” he said lowly. “Who was the girl?”

I gave Imogen a hard look but then turned to Jax. “Her name is Amy Ventura, but on the street, she went by Needles.”

Jax nodded. “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of her. Nineteen-ish, Latina, right?”

I gave a quick dip of my head in answer to his question. He considered the information for a moment before he crossed his arms over his chest. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

I released a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“Great!” Imogen said enthusiastically, “I’ll go get the equipment.” With that, she left us to ourselves in the evidence lockup.

The two of us stood in silence, slowly watching each other. It was a small space, so I could feel his body heat radiating off him from over here. His eyes were dark and he took a step towards me until he was standing in front of me with his body crowding mine.

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrow.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice low. Jax didn’t answer me, he just grinned. His hand snaked around my waist and then pulled me flush against him. A small breath escaped my lips in shock and my head was tilted up towards his. He pushed two fingers into my belt loops, securing me inside his arms.

My hands came up and rested on his forearms, sending him a careful look as he grinned down at me.

“I hope you know that I expect something in return for this favor,” he said, his voice low and husky. I watched as his gaze dropped from my eyes to something lower.

I rolled my eyes. “I hope you’re not alluding to something sexual. Because, that’s off the table.”

Jax chuckled, his eyes flipping back up to mine before he took a step back. “Guess you’ll just have to stay tuned. Oh, and babe? Nothing’s off the table with us.”

My mouth parted slightly at the promise behind his statement but before I could say anything, Imogen was back with the wire. She handed it to me before pointing at Jax.

“Shirt off,” she instructed before heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a sec, I just have to secure the vehicle that Ev and I will be listening from. You good to mic him up?” she asked me. I nodded and Jax smirked at me.

When Imogen left, he shrugged off his jacket, allowing me to see the muscles trying to escape the confines of his shirt. He brought his hands to the collar of his shirt, at the back, before he dragged it over his head. He dropped it on the floor as he stood to his full height in front of me.

He didn’t even need to flex. His chest was already impressive enough. My eyes trailed from the skeletal tattoo around his neck, down to his collarbone and then to the lines of script across his ribs.

I’d never actually read what they said. They weren’t there when we’d dated in high school. I took a deep breath, tearing my eyes away, ignoring the satisfied smirk on his face before I picked up the wire kit beside me.

I opened it up and drew out the listening device. I took two steps towards him, closing the space between us, then I brought the tape out of the kit.

“Good thing you’re hairless or taking this off would hurt like a bitch,” I muttered. Jax chuckled. I reached up and placed the wire in the center of his chest, just below his pecs. My knuckles brushed against his abdomen, tracing the bumps and ridges of his muscles before I taped the cord to his skin.

He was warm, and when I snuck a glance at his face, his eyes were pinned to mine. I could see a lust there and tore my eyes away. I pressed the cord to his skin and taped it down twice more.

Even though I knew that no one he would be talking to would be looking for a wire, it still had to look discreet like there was nothing there.

“Turn,” instructed. Jax shuffled his feet as I taped the cord around his hip and to his back. My eyes widened slightly when they fell on his back.

It had just dawned on me that I hadn’t seen his back since we had dated before, because it was now adorned with some of the most extensive ink I’d ever seen. His whole back was covered with his MC patch. There were the rockers at the top and bottom, and then the insignia in the middle. It wasn’t as simple as the cut he wore, this was much more intricate.

My mind was boggled at the thought of just how many hours he would have had to sit still to get this done.

I pushed the thought from my mind, ignoring his gigantic tattoo as I continued taping the wire to his taut body.

“Alright, I just need you to bring your jeans down a little bit.”

“Is that so?” Jax chuckled. I rolled my eyes at him and flicked him. He grinned but peeled back the waistline of his jeans. I pressed the power pack to his lower back and taped it there.

Then he brought his jeans back up and secured them. I moved back around to his front and fiddled with the top of the device, turning it on. I could feel Jax’s gaze burning into the top of my head but I refused to look at him.

Our closeness and our intimacy was beginning to affect me and I didn’t trust what I would do if I looked into his lustful eyes.

I moved away from him and back to the kit. I turned on the speaker before I handed him a little earpiece. It was wireless and was supposed to be put pretty far into the ear canal so that people couldn’t see it.

He adjusted it and I picked up the handheld microphone connected to it.

“Testing one. Testing two,” I said. Jax nodded, cringing slightly at the feeling of the device so far into his ear.

I nodded before placing my own ear piece in, the one connected to his wire. I motioned for him to say something.

“This good, babe?”

I rolled my eyes at his words but nodded. He pulled his shirt back on before then his leather jacket.

“Great, it’s all working. We should go and meet Imogen with the car.”

Jax nodded and followed me as I walked out of the evidence lockup, up the stairs and towards the carpark. I noticed Imogen sitting in a small undercover sedan. It was brown and slightly rusted in places which would make it perfect for blending in downtown.

Jax and I got into the car and then we were off. Wells could kiss my ass.

“Right, so we’ll be parked around the corner from the shelter. According to the meal schedule posted online, they’re about to serve soup for lunch,” Imogen said. “If you do decide to eat something, try not to spill it on yourself because it will short circuit the wire. There’s a two-mile radius on where we can reach you so try not to wander too far.”

Jax nodded with a grin. “Believe it or not, this isn’t my first time at this,” he said. I furrowed my eyebrows as I gave him an odd look. He just shrugged with a grin.

“I don’t even want to know what you did before now,” Imogen grinned. “Just get in there, see what you can find discreetly about either Phillips, Needles, or this person named Bailey.”

“I got this,” he nodded, before he pulled himself from the car. Imogen and I watched him walk with swagger out of the alley we were parked in and towards the homeless shelter.

“We’re screwed,” I said to Imogen. She rolled her eyes at me.

 _“You know I can hear you, right?”_ a gravelly voice suddenly came through my ear piece as Jax laughed. _“You could at least have a little faith in me, babe.”_

Even though he couldn’t see me, I shook my head. “Just get in there.”

Jax chuckled but I heard the sound in the background change as he opened the door to the shelter and went inside. I could hear the crowds chattering in the background.

 _“Alright, now I can’t guarantee what kind of information any of these guys are gonna give up,”_ Jax said, _“But I’m assuming you’re gonna look the other way if anything illegal comes up, yes? After all, I am doing you a favor.”_

I frowned. “Illegal such as?”

Jax grinned. _“The usual, I guess. Guns, drugs etcetera.”_

“I thought you said you had a prescription for your drugs,” I challenged. Jax chuckled through the line.

_“Yeh, I guess I did say that. Never mind then, babe.”_

I rolled my eyes but didn’t reply. Imogen sent me a smirk. She wrote something down on the notepad in her hands.

**How long have you guys been hanging out? Is he the reason you broke up with Mikey?**

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, waving her off. Imogen shrugged but grinned.

 **Fine.** She wrote. **But, later I will demand answers.**

I shook my head with a silent laugh at my friend.

 _“Alright, I can see someone I know. He hangs out here a lot for free food. If anyone’s seen anything, it’s him.”_ Jax said.

“Copy that.”

 _“Hey Arnold. Man, how’ve you been,”_ Jax asked.

_“Viper. Been a long time since you showed your sorry ass up in here. Thought you found a better dealer?”_

Jax laughed. _“Sure did. I buy premium in bulk now. No point going for a little sprig here and there from local sources when shipments are cheaper and more regularly available outside town.”_

 _“True that,”_ Arnold said. _“Although, the local kids’ still work well enough for the rest of us who just want a hit every now and then. Guess the deal’s different when you gotta supply a whole club. How’s business, anyway?”_

I frowned at this information. Did Jax just admit to buying drugs in bulk for his club? I could bust that shit open if I ever went to that clubhouse again.

 _“Booming,”_ Jax said. _“But, that’s not why I’m here.”_

_“Looking for pussy?”_

Jax laughed. _“Not a chance. Got that shit locked down on my end. Dolls are just about lining up around the block to get a crack at it.”_

Imogen wiggled her eyebrows at me with a grin and I shoved her shoulder, rolling my eyes. She knew about Jax’s name for me. I hated that he called me that, but he had done for more than ten years now, so I guess as far as nicknames go, this one had definitely stuck.

_“Nah man, I’m looking for Scotty. You seen him?”_

I heard the other man sigh. _“Heard he’s on the run from the cops,”_ Arnold admitted. _“What d’you want him for?”_

Jax whistled. _“Didn’t know about the cop shit. The kid just hasn’t shown up to work in a while. Wanted to kick his ass to teach him a lesson.”_

_“You don’t screw over the MC, everyone knows that.”_

_“Exactly,”_ Jax agreed. His cover was good, maybe he’d do better at this then I thought. _“Look. I know you always know more than you let on, so, what’s your price for the information?”_

Arnold sighed. He was quiet for a moment as he considered his price. _“Two broads and a key.”_

Jax laughed. _“Done, easy. Meth or Crack?”_

My eyes narrowed. Did Jax seriously have this shit on hand? My blood was boiling.

_“Half and half.”_

_“You got it. Now, where’s the kid?”_

_“Heard he was shackin’ up with a broad for a while. Pretty little thing, seen her ‘round here a few times. Dark hair, looked like a Beaner. But, she kicked him out a few days ago and he came here lookin’ for Bailey.”_

My eyes widened. Imogen shoved her pad towards me and I looked down. **Amy?** She wrote. I nodded.

 _“Who’s Bailey?”_ Jax asked. I held my breath as I waited for the answer. This could blow my case wide open.

_“Cartel runner. Dunno if Scotty actually found ‘em but he hasn’t been here since so I’d say he did.”_

Jax whistled. _“So, he’s in with the cartel now?”_

 _“You didn’t hear it from me,”_ Arnold said. My eyes widened.

Shit. If this was truly a cartel case then it would be taken off my hands and the FBI would take over. They were on for major drug cases, not small town cops.

I heard a rustle as I assumed Jax got up from where he sat with his friend.

_“Pleasure doing business with you, Arnold. The girls’ll be at your door at seven.”_

_“Make it the blonde with the tramp stamp, she always treats me nice and good. And the chink, she’s kinky.”_

_“You got it, Old Man.”_

I listened to Jax’s footsteps as he made it out of the shelter. Soon enough he came into view with a shit-eating grin on his face. I glared at him through the windshield. I ripped open the door and stormed towards him.

Before I knew what was happening, my fist was flying towards his jaw.

.

**Loooooool, she pissed.**


	21. 19

#  **CHAPTER NINETEEN**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

“Fuck was that for?”

I glared at him as he gripped his jaw, fury blazing behind his eyes.

“You think you can go in there and discuss that much drug dealing and think that I’ll be okay with it, Jax? You’re fucking crazy if you think I’m letting this go.”

Jax rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to apologize for it. I’m the Vice President of the MC, of course I do illegal shit every damn day, Dollface.”

“What’s going to stop me from arresting you right now?” I said, exasperated. Jax chuckled, spreading his arms out wide.

“Go for it, babe. I’ve got nothing on me, try proving it to your chief. You can’t use any of that recording because then he’d know you enlisted a criminal to help with a case that he didn’t sign off on.”

I glared at him.

“Now, you gonna thank me for getting you what you wanted or are you gonna hit me again?”

I felt a hand come down on my shoulder and I flinched, looking up at Imogen. “Look. Ev, I know you’re pissed but we have bigger fish to fry right now.”

“What the hell do you have to be so mad about right now anyway?” Jax asked. “I just got you so much information. The kid was sleeping with the girl, now you know the kid’s probably in Mexico.”

Imogen sighed and looked towards Jax. “That’s exactly why she’s mad. Cartel cases are given to the FBI. Small town cops don’t have jurisdiction because we don’t have the funding for such high-profile jobs.”

“Whatever,” I sighed, storming back to the car, ignoring the both of them.

_This is what you wanted,_ I told myself. _This is your ticket out of Okeechobee. Take it, and go back home._

I sighed. I just wanted to be by myself for a while.

.

Low profile case, my ass.

I sighed. I was back at the precinct. When we’d made it back after our secret outing, Jax had de-mic’d and sped off on his bike, leaving me fuming in the cloud of his dust.

I’d been sitting at my desk since, going over every single second of the voice recording. It was only making me angrier and angrier. But I couldn’t tell if I was angry at Jax, or at myself for not letting myself believe that he could engage in such activities.

We were literally opposite sides of the same coin. I couldn’t imagine doing something so illegal as a form of work. It was insane to me, but it was second nature to him. People like him were the exact reason that I’d become a cop in the first place.

I’d seen what hard drugs could do to people and how they ruined lives, and Jax’s blasé attitude towards them pissed me off. But the thing that pissed me off the most was that I also didn’t really care.

And that was what drew me to Jax. I didn’t care that he was a criminal who supplied drugs to his motorcycle club, I didn’t care that he had basically just sold two girls to a homeless man for sex – though I should have been (and kind of was) livid that that set feminism and women’s rights back about a hundred years.

But I didn’t care because all of this didn’t hold a candle to the way that I’d been beginning to feel about him again. So, when my phone pinged with the notification of a text, I didn’t hesitate to read it.

**I know you’re pissed, but I can make it up to you. A few people are coming by mine for some drinks tonight. Join us. –J**

I read the text twice. Then a third time. Was he serious? Did he think I would just jump at the chance to see him again after what had happened this morning?

**Before you say no, Cora will be there, I know you guys are friends. Consider this as you returning todays favor. –J**

Apparently yes. I sighed but sent him a quick one word reply.

**Fine. –E**

I kept my screen alive as I waited for his reply.

**Seven. BYO. –J**

I sighed and picked up my things before going to my car and heading home to shower. I realized that the people he was probably having around were no doubt those from his MC, and that my being clean wouldn’t really make a difference to them.

I was a cop – basically, I was the enemy.

I don’t know why I agreed to come. _You just want to say a quick hello to your new friend Cora,_ I told myself. I shook my head. I knew it wasn’t the reason.

.

Why was I doing this?

Why was I putting myself into this situation?

I was a cop. Jax’s friends were outlaw bikers. This was going to be a fucking disaster.

I was sitting in the parking lot of his workshop, trying to psych myself up to walk inside.

“ _Fucking hell_ ,” I whispered to myself, running a hand through my hair. I could see about five motorcycles parked in front of me. So, at lease Jax wasn’t lying about it being a small gathering.

I leaned forward and rested my head against my steering wheel. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to convince myself one last time to actually go inside. No one had seen me yet, I could drive out of here and Jax would never even know I’d come.

Before I could twist my keys in my ignition, I heard three short raps on my window.

I jumped, my heart racing.

I looked up to see someone grinning down at me. She popped the door open and chuckled. “Thought I heard something out here. What’s taking you so long?”

I sighed at Coraline Knight. She smirked down at me.

“Nothing,” I muttered. Coraline smiled and stepped back so that I could step out of my car. Her distance allowed me to admire her attire. She was wearing a black leather skirt and a white bandeau top underneath her cut. Her curls were hanging freely down her back. My eyes trailed down to the black Doc Martens on her feet.

I smirked slightly. Looks like our shoe game was matching tonight.

I myself was wearing a pair of black jeans, a simple dark blue t-shirt, and my Docs.

Cora slammed the door shut behind me before slinging her arm through mine. She gave me a bright smile before she pulled me along to the inside of the workshop. I tried not to grimace with each step closer I got.

There were only a handful of people standing around when we made it.

“Look who I found lurking in the shadows,” Cora announced with a grin. Everyone looked up and straight at me. I recognized Lucas Knight – the MC President – among the group. Attached to his hip was the young blonde woman I’d seen with him at the café that one time.

Then there was the tall dark-haired man who’s brooding expression was more than familiar. Jax was with them, sending me a smirk. He raised his beer at me in greeting. I couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I couldn’t figure out why, but I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

There was another guy with brown hair, with a pretty girl by his side, her hair had been dyed a cotton candy pink.

I made eye contact with each person in the group but none of them said a word. Lucas gave me a single nod before he took a swig of his beer, going back to his conversation. The blonde beside him – his old lady I assumed, gave me a smile and broke away from the group.

She walked up to Cora and I.

“Hi, I’m Luna, I don’t think we’ve properly met,” she said. I saw the flash of a ring on her finger as she went to pull me in for a hug. So, she wasn’t just Lucas’ old lady then, she was his wife.

I was surprised by her openness and hesitantly returned her hug.

“Everly,” I said. Luna smiled.

“That’s such a cool name.”

I nodded slightly, still kind of wary. “So’s yours. Never met someone named Luna before.”

The girl grinned. “Yeah, it’s a long story. Had to change my name a while back for security reasons and when given the chance to make it creative, my twenty-year old self kind of went all out,” she laughed. Cora grinned.

“So, do you drink?” she asked me. I nodded profusely.

“Yes, definitely. I didn’t bring anything though.”

Cora waved me off with the roll of her eyes. “No worries. Now, we’ve got cheap beer, cheap tequila, or cheap vodka. Pick your poison,” she chuckled, pointing at an array of drinks in a nearby cooler.

I smiled. “Given the choice, I’ll go with cheap vodka.”

“Great. There’s some mixers in there too so you can decide how strong you want it.”

I nodded and moved forward, making myself a beverage. Vodka and lemonade never went wrong. I turned back to the girls and we walked over to a table and chairs a little-ways away from the group.

“So, Ev,” Luna began, “Do you know everyone here?”

I shook my head. “Just Jax and Lucas.”

Cora smiled. “Okay, well, the short guy over there, kind of lanky, kind of looks like he’s twelve, that’s Linc. He was a prospect about two years ago and made the charter after some shit went down with Cora.”

I nodded, curious as to what Cora’s story was but I figured I’d find out later.

“His girlfriend – pinky pie over there – that’s Stacey. House mouse turned Old Lady. She’s nice, used to be way more outspoken but she’s kind of reverted into her shell the past couple of years.”

“They’re cute together,” I noted. Cora grinned, nodding.

“Then the tall sexy piece of ass standing next to Jax,” Cora said fondly. “He’s all mine.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind the horndog over there. Those two can barely keep their hands off each other.”

Cora wiggled her fingers at me, her diamond engagement ring glinting in the fading light. “His name’s Gage,” she said. “Ex-military. Not much of a talker. Club’s Sergeant-At-Arms.” She shrugged and I nodded. I frowned slightly. Gage was familiar but I couldn’t place him.

I bit my lip slightly.

Then my eyes widened slightly. I knew where I knew him from.

That kid who’d been stabbed in the MC bar over a year ago, Gage had been there. He’d seemed intimidating and hot as hell. But I remembered even then his expression had held the disinterest that clued me in to the fact he was firmly taken by someone else.

I guess that someone was Cora.

“So,” Luna said, “Cora and Jax tell me you’re a cop.”

I drew my drink from my lips slowly, carefully. I nodded once.

“Detective,” I said. Luna smiled.

“That’s so awesome. I guess you’re not really supposed to talk about your cases but have you worked on anything cool?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I actually live in Lorida, so most of my work is there. I mostly just work drug cases and deal with the Diablos.”

Luna laughed. “So, whatcha doin’ here?”

“My chief wanted me to take time off but I told him that that would make me go crazy. So, he gave me a low-profile case here in Okeechobee but so far, it’s not as low key as he thought. That’s all I can really say,” I said.

Luna nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

“Alright,” Cora chimed in. “I’ve been wanting to ask ever since Jax told me you were coming tonight.”

I looked up at her, narrowing my eyes.

“What the hell is going on with you two?”

I paused. How was I supposed to answer that?

“Uhhhh,” I trailed off. “Nothing.”

Coraline rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Babe, I know Jax better than most people. He’s one of my best friends and I can tell you that he never invites girls places. Jax is the kind of guy who shows up stag and goes home with anything that smiles his way.”

I laughed. “So, same old Jax then?”

Cora grinned, narrowing her eyes at me.

“What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “We dated in high school. Now he’s just a pain in my ass.”

Cora pouted. “So, you guys aren’t having sex then?” Luna leaned in intently, eager for my answer.

I paused. I had no reason to lie to these girls. Besides, if I didn’t tell them, Jax surely would. He didn’t seem to care too much about who knew of his sex life.

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t say that.”

Cora grinned and Luna squealed.

“I fucking knew it. Tell me everything. When did it happen, how many times?”

I cringed at her brashness. They were both as crass as Capris.

“I broke up with my boyfriend about a week ago. Jax kind of helped me get over it, I guess…”

Coraline laughed and Luna grinned. “So, what’s happened since?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. It was a one-time thing and it’s staying that way. Jax and I broke up for a reason and I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now.”

My eyes flicked over to where he stood. His friends were talking around him but he was just watching me as he drank. He gave me a smirk when my eyes met his. He raised his eyebrow a little bit and I rolled my eyes.

Cora pouted as she watched our silent exchange. “But you guys would be so cute together.” I gave her the ‘oh-really’ sarcastic glance and she gave me a slight shove. “I’m serious. Jax doesn’t do girlfriends, but I don’t know. You seem kind of different.”

Luna nodded.

“Like, I remember Jax in high school. Even though I guess I never met you, I can pinpoint the difference in his personality from high school to adult hood. And right now, his personality has reverted back to what it was in high school. I’d be willing to bet that it’s because of you.”

I chuckled, taking a sip of my drink, shaking my head.

“It’s not happening. We get on each other’s nerves.”

Cora laughed. “Holy shit, you should’ve seen me and Gage before we got together. He couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me.”

Luna laughed but shook her head. “Yeah, but that was different. He was so in love with you and kept away because you kept flirting.”

I frowned. “If you both liked each other then why didn’t you both just act on it?”

Cora grinned. “Extenuating circumstances,” she said, “Mostly he was just shit scared of what Lou would say.”

I laughed and Cora nodded. “Yeah, don’t get it confused. Gage might look all tough but deep down he’s the biggest fucking pussy.”

“Nah, babe. He’s just whipped as hell for you,” Luna chuckled. The girls and I spent the next few hours just chatting as it got darker. I’d had too much to drink and definitely wouldn’t be able to drive home.

Gage and Lucas eventually came up to claim their women.

“You gonna be alright?” Cora asked me. I nodded, waving her off.

“Gonna call a friend to come get me.”

Luna nodded before riding off on the back of Lucas’ bike, and Cora sent me a sultry wink. She rushed towards me and gave me a final hug goodbye.

“ _Get some, babe_ ,” she chuckled in my ear and I rolled my eyes. Then I watched as she skipped back to her fiancé. He gave her a quick kiss before they both got on their own bikes and rode off. Cora gave me a wave as she sped out of the lot.

I chuckled, she really was something else. Linc and Stacey were the next to leave, waving a quick goodbye to Jax, who was walking towards me. Then they rode away, too.

Jax stood at my feet. I was still sitting on top of the table and so had to look up as he stood before me. He grinned.

“You stickin’ ‘round?” he asked, his voice low in the way that I loved. His eyes caught mine, holding me prisoner.

I shook my head slightly as our eyes stayed locked together.

“No. Imogen will come and get me,” I said, holding up my phone. I watched Jax grin before he swiped my phone from my hand and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans.

“Hey–” I started, but before I could complete my protest, Jax reached a hand to my neck and pulled my face to his, laying his lips on mine.

My eyelids fluttered closed as my lips pressed against his with a sweet pressure. I moaned slightly as he moved me closer to him. My hands wound around his neck and my fingers tugged at the hair at his nape.

He groaned and pulled back slightly for air. As we both tried to catch our breath he looked down at me with another smirk.

“You stickin’ ‘round?” he repeated. I grinned, shrugging. He smirked at me before I could reply, and before I could protest, he picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

A short gasp left my lips as he turned away from the table I’d been sitting on and moved towards his workshop.

“Jax, are you fucking kidding me? Put me down!”

The man just laughed. As I started to squirm, his palm cracked down on my ass and I froze. A zing of pleasure raked from my pussy to my breasts and I felt my nipples harden against his naked back.

I glared at his feet before reaching down and slapping his ass right back.

“Kinky,” he laughed. He made it inside and brought me down from his shoulder.

We were in his stairwell. I sent him a glare and he just grinned down at me, stepping forward so that I was pressed against the wall. I rolled my eyes and brought his lips to mine again.

He was warm against me and as his tongue made its way into my mouth, I let out a breathy sigh. His hips moved against mine, grinding into me. I could see stars behind my closed eyes as I began to feel his dick hardening against my inner thigh.

His hands flitted underneath my t-shirt and dragged it over my head before unclasping my bra with deft fingers. Still pressed against the wall, his lips moved from mine down my jaw and my neck.

His tongue then trailed down to the valley between my breasts. He secured one of my nipples between his lips, making me squirm and grind closer against him. My hands were in his hair, keeping him close to my chest as he rolled my nipple between his teeth.

My head arched back when he bit down, making pleasure shoot straight to my core. I moaned and he moved to the other breast, giving it the same attention. A hand moved to my jeans, popping the button. I kicked off my shoes, hearing them bang on the stairs.

Then his hands moved back up my body. They were in my hair, pulling my kiss back to his. He picked me up under my ass and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried us up the stairs to his apartment.

My lips never left his but my hand found its way to his pants, popping the button and dragging the zipper down. My feet worked them over his ass, making him stumble. He pushed open the door to his bedroom with his foot before laying me on the carpet.

His fingers were quick as they pulled my jeans from my body. I had a surprise for him. I hadn’t known this was going to happen tonight, but I wasn’t wearing underwear.

Jax swore under his breath and pressed a chaste kiss to my naked mound. My back arched slightly at the feeling of his breath against my sensitive skin. He dragged the jeans from my calves and flung them somewhere on the floor.

Then he stood up, watching me on the floor. His eyes darkened as he looked down at me. I surely looked a picture, spread out before him as we hadn’t even made it to the bed. I bent my knees and he grinned, licking his lips slightly.

He kicked his pants off before laying his body on top of mine. I could feel his hardened length against me and reached down to grab it. He was silky between my fingers as I rubbed my hand up and down his erection, cradling his balls at the bottom.

His hands were on my waist, his grip tightening when my thumb brushed over his slit, wiping away his precum. My chest was rising and falling rapidly as I moved him towards my entrance.

I dragged him through my folds and we groaned together before he slid home. My back arched and he used the opportunity to wrap his arms around my waist, holding me in that position as he started to pull in and out of me.

 _“Fuck,”_ I moaned. Jax chuckled into my skin, kissing my collarbone as he thrust again. One of his hands found my clit and began dragging in fast circles across my sensitive nub.

“Shit,” I gasped, my fingers grappling for something to hold onto. My hips moved in sync with his as he rode me fast and hard towards my orgasm.

“Shit, Jax,” I moaned as I ground against him. The burn from the carpet on my ass every time I moved was like sweet torture. Jax pulled me upwards so that I was kind of sitting in his lap. His hand was in my hair, coaxing my mouth towards his.

He kissed me right as my climax washed over me. I moaned into his lips, my pussy clenching around him. My hands wrapped around his neck and my nipples grazed against his chest as he kept thrusting hard and fast.

I was practically bouncing on him as I heard him groan. He bit my bottom lip as his fingers pinched my clit. My eyes flew open, widening as a second orgasm hit me, surprising me.

He met my high and I felt him let go inside me. Every spurt of his ropy cum was coating my inner pussy lips and I sighed. He kissed me harshly, picking us up from the floor and lying us on the bed. My skin sighed in content as it relaxed into the soft sheets.

His fingers were still on my clit and his cock was still inside me. He was thrusting slowly as he was becoming soft and his fingers were circling my clit, coaxing me through my aftershocks.

I’m pretty sure I passed out that way.

.

**There’s more where that came from.**


	22. 20

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was the smell of cigarettes and car grease hanging faintly in the air. My nose wrinkled as I sat up in the bed.

The blanket fell away from my chest, sending an unwelcome chill down my spine. I reached for it to wrap it around my shoulders. I looked around the bedroom.

Jax was nowhere to be seen. The bed was cold beside me where he had been when I’d fallen asleep. I ran a hand through my disheveled hair. I heard a faint noise coming from downstairs.

I gathered the blanket around me and moved off the bed, dancing around discarded clothes and down to the staircase. The light to Jax’s workshop was bright enough to make me cringe. I wrapped the blanket tighter around me as I made my way into his space.

I looked around for a moment before I saw him over by an old Buick LeSabre. The hood was up and Jax was bent over, fixing something inside the engine.

I took a moment to enjoy the view of his perfect ass. He was wearing grease stained jeans and nothing else. I watched the muscles in his back roll, making his tattoo move with every flick of his deft hands against the engine.

His feet were bare against the cool cement floor. The garage roller door was open, letting in a soft breeze that made goose bumps raise on my forearms.

He was bouncing on his heels slightly, to the beat of whatever country song was filtering mildly through an old stereo in the corner of the shop. I took a step forward, my feet soundless on the floor.

I waited until I was right behind him. He hadn’t noticed I was there yet. I allowed myself a wicked grin in anticipation of my next move.

“What are you doing?” I asked softly. Jax jumped, hitting his head on the open hood. He uttered a curse and I grinned. _Priceless._

Jax turned to face me with a shake of his head, he was grinning slightly. When he saw me wrapped in his bedsheet, he closed the step between us and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Why you sneakin’ up on me?” he chuckled. I grinned, shrugging.

“You weren’t there when I woke up.”

Jax gave me a half nod. “Gave me half a fright there, Doll.” I smirked.

“Half?”

Jax rolled his eyes. His lips came down on mine and I pressed myself against him. One of my arms moved up to cup his jaw, keeping him connected to me while my other hand kept a tight hold on my blanket.

I could taste a slight tang on his tongue, the kind I associated with Molly. I rolled my eyes in our kiss. He never could resist a midnight drag. He squeezed my ass cheek in one hand before he broke our kiss.

I moved my palm from his face and adjusted my blanket slightly. “So, what are you working on?” I asked nonchalantly, brushing past him to run my index finger along the sleek side of the vehicle.

Jax grinned, rubbing at the slight stubble on his jaw. He shrugged.

“I don’t know really,” he said. “She’s pretty much complete.” He gestured towards the old car. It was beautiful.

I cocked my eyebrow. “So, what are you doing down here then?”

Jax eyed me carefully. “Thinking,” he finally said. I frowned.

“About?”

Jax sighed. He moved to the engine again, closing the hood. He stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before looking up to face me.

“You… Me. Why we didn’t work the first time.”

I watched silently as he leant against the car’s headlights.

“Wanna see how she runs?” he asked, changing the subject. I nodded, moving towards the passenger door. I felt an arm snake around my waist and I gasped. Jax chuckled in my ear.

“Nah, babe. Get behind the wheel.”

I frowned, turning to give him a questioning look. “I don’t want to ruin a customer’s car…” I trailed off. Jax grinned.

“Don’t worry, she belongs to me.”

“Oh.” He smirked, turning me around to face the driver’s side door before he let me go. I watched as he walked around the other side and sank into his seat. Without another glance, I moved into my seat behind the wheel.

I got myself seated, admiring the interior. It was all white leather with red piping. It was the perfect mix of classy and rock ‘n’ roll. The steering wheel was wooden and polished. The cab was clean and perfect. I whistled.

“Impressive,” I said. Jax grinned, motioning towards the key that was already in the ignition.

“Let her rip, babe.”

I turned the key and the car rumbled to life. My first thought was that the car was damn loud. Then it began to idle, and it purred. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Jax grinned.

“Wow,” I said, turning off the engine. “You’ve done a great job.”

Jax smirked. “Did you just compliment me?” he teased. I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t get used to it.”

Jax ran a hand through his hair and gestured towards the display. “So,” he said, “All the fittings are completely original. I found her in a scrap yard and bought her for pennies basically. Put in over two years of work to make her perfect.”

He sounded proud, and almost nervous, in an excited kind of way. The kind of way when you just start rambling because you are so enthusiastic about something.

I ran my hand over the steering wheel, stroking it almost.

“Does she have a name?” I asked. I turned to face Jax and caught the end of his frown.

He rubbed his jaw again, making my eyes track his movements before his head shook no. “Couldn’t find it in myself to admit she was finished,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever name her. I like that I can go back and tinker with her.”

I frowned. “She’s a complete car, Jax. There’s nothing left to work on.”

Jax gave a half-hearted sigh and sent a grin my way. “Doesn’t matter to me, I could never sell her anyway.” His eyes locked with mine with a certain intensity that made me think he was talking about something else.

I don’t know. Maybe I imagined it. My eyes trailed down to his lips, which were slightly parted. I felt my nipples harden against my bedsheet as his tongue darted out to the corner of his mouth.

My eyes flipped back up to meet his only to find he was harboring the same dark look. His eyes were full of lust. I moved forward at the same time he did. Our lips collided and he let out a soft groan.

His hands found my hips and he pulled me up and over to where he sat, not without difficulty. I landed on his lap, my hands found their way to his hair. I felt as Jax’s fingers curled upwards on my chest and dragged my blanket away.

His warm fingers against my cool skin was like fire touching ice. I burned slightly as his warmth seeped into my bones. His palms cupped my petite frame as he crushed me towards him. His thumbs brushed over my pert nipples as my hands cradled his face closer to mine.

I gasped into our kiss and he took the opportunity to sink his tongue into my lips. He moaned when I put pressure on my knees, which were straddling him. I lifted myself up so that I was above him. I used my angle to deepen our kiss.

One of my hands moved from his face to my blanket. I tore it away from my body, opening myself up to him. I dropped it somewhere where I’d been sitting before and guided one of Jax’s hands down to my hip.

He took the initiative from there as our tongues mashed together. His hands cradled at my legs, pulling me closer to him. My fingers were at the button on his dirty jeans, popping it and dragging the zipper down slowly. I could feel his dick protesting against my hands, desperate to break free.

I helped him shimmy out of his pants and he kicked them into the footwell. Our kiss broke for a moment and I looked down at his hard length resting against his stomach. I looked back up to Jax and his lips quirked up slightly into what I’d almost call a smile.

Before I could react, he slapped my ass with both hands, making my eyes flutter closed as my body jolted. I gave him a slight glare when they opened again and he chuckled, smirking at me.

I retaliated my gripping him at his base, hard. He grunted at my action before I moved him to my center. I sunk down on him without warning and we moaned in unison as we connected.

“Fuck,” I whispered. Jax’s hands came to my waist to give himself leverage as he began thrusting. My hands fell to his shoulders as my head fell backwards and my eyes fell closed.

My lips parted in a moan as I felt him glide in and out of my. I felt hot as I bounced on him slowly.

I pushed back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. I felt his lips on my collarbone before they moved down and peppered kisses across my breasts. I smiled, knowing he couldn’t see it as he hit bottom inside me.

Fuck, I had missed that feeling. I’d missed this.

For some reason, with Jax, I felt more like _me_ than I had in years.

I lifted myself off him before lowering back down harshly. I tilted my head and looked back down at Jax. His face was contorted in that way that guys get when they’re horny. That expression where they look half mad, and half like they’re trying not to lose control.

That wild look in his eyes made me lose my mind. I tilted my face towards his and captured his lips in mine as I sunk down on him again. I could feel my stomach tighten as my climax drew near.

I didn’t have to say anything, because sometimes I could’ve sworn that Jax knew my body better than I did. He knew just where to hit and graze and bump against inside me to illicit the perfect reaction.

He could play my pussy like it was his favorite instrument. I moaned into our kiss as he grazed against my g-spot and my entire body tightened.

My grip on his shoulders tightened, and I felt his fingers dig into my hips.

He broke his lips away from mine before he slowed down his thrusts. “Wait for me,” he whispered. I groaned as he pulled my release away from me. My fingers flew to his hair and pulled him back to me.

He was everywhere I wanted him to be; his mouth was where I wanted it, his cock was where I wanted it, his hands were where I wanted them.

His being was all encompassing, and he was drawing me in with every utterance, every look, every laugh, every breath.

I could imagine that we were fogging up the windows of his perfect car with every action. The difference in temperature of our hot bed to outside where a cool breeze was still filtering into the workshop was driving me crazy.

I felt his thrusts begin to speed up again and I bit down into his bottom lip, making him groan into my mouth. My head flew back again as my back arched. My toes started curling and I couldn’t stop.

“ _Jay_ ,” I whispered. Jax’s cock kicked at my word and we both fell apart at the seams.

“Shit… _Evie_.” His words were lost between our moans as he coasted us through our high. I found his lips again and ground my core against his length as I kissed him hurriedly.

I could feel an unshed tear behind my closed eyelid as my ears replayed that one word. I hadn’t heard that in a long time.

I wanted to bury myself in our kiss, ignoring the way that he’d just brought up painful memories, ones that weren’t so different from our current actions. When we both finally came back down to earth, I leaned away from him and wiped at my eyes.

I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t bear to see the frown that was no doubt written across his lips.

He leaned upwards and wrapped an arm around my waist. The other reached up to my face and moved my hands away from where I hid from him. He frowned, his eyes sad as his thumb came up and brushed underneath my eye.

I knew it would come away wet. Why did he have to say it?

With a broken look, he leaned up and pressed his lips to both my cheeks. I couldn’t help it. My eyes betrayed me, letting out another stream of tears at his actions.

I didn’t know what was happening. Usually I had a pretty tight lid on my emotions. Maybe I was due for my period soon or something.

I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away. He frowned but I ignored him, instead shoving open the door and lifting my body off of his, separating us at our apex. I shook my head, running a hand through my hair as I stalked towards the staircase.

What the hell had we just done?

I felt a hand catch my wrist and pull me back. I was twisted around until I was trapped in his arms again. He glared down at me, but I could tell it was only half hearted. He trapped both my wrists in one hand and used the other to cup my jawline, tilting my face towards him.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” he whispered. I frowned and tried to turn away. He wouldn’t let me leave. He kept my eyes trapped in his gaze as he pleaded me silently to forgive him.

I closed my eyes, battling with myself and my lips parted in a silent cry. Against my better judgement, I squirmed an arm out of his death grip and reached up to his neck. I pulled his mouth down to meet mine hurriedly, before I chickened out.

I knew he didn’t mean it. He had told me he’d come down here because he was thinking about us. I mean, the _old_ us.

_The words were just on his mind, and they just slipped out when he couldn’t control his body anymore,_ I justified in my head.

Either way, now my lips were attached to his in a fierce kiss. Our tongues clashed as he tried to apologize again. I shook my head with finality before I moved my other arm from his grip and instead took his hand in mine.

I pulled away from our kiss, staring silently down at our interlocked fingers. When I looked back up, Jax’s eyebrow was raised in silent question.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it.

“I just want to go back to bed,” I said, my voice low and somewhat broken. Jax regarded me slowly, his eyes flicking back and forth between my own. He was searching for something. Doubt? Regret? Sadness? I didn’t know.

Eventually he gave a nod and let me pull him up the staircase and back to his bed where he folded me into his embrace and we fell asleep. My head was against his chest and I let myself focus on his steady heartbeat as my eyes fluttered closed and my body finally shut down.

.

**Catching feelings? Or just tired of running?**


	23. 21

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**Everly**

“It’s been a week since our little rendezvous mission to the homeless shelter and I still can’t find anything on whoever this ‘Bailey’ person is!”

Imogen frowned at me from her desk. I was _this close_ to banging my head against my keyboard. I’d searched the database for every single person with the name ‘Bailey’ in the entire state of Florida.

I’d spent the past week combing through every result of my search and double checking every profile I’d come across.

“I told you on Monday, it’s probably an alias, or a nickname,” Imogen sighed. I groaned.

“I know, but I still have to try, you know?”

I gripped at the roots of my hair, trying to come up with some idea as to where I could find this guy. “Look, hun–” Imogen came and sat down next to me, “–we just need to attack it from a different angle.”

I nodded and gave her a clipped smile. “I know. I just can’t think of how…” my voice trailed off as my eyes flicked over my desk. There was a post-it note crumpled up under the monitor and my eyes narrowed.

I reached forward, picking it up and flattening it out. I smiled. To anyone else, it looked like a random bunch of numbers in letters, maybe they would mistake it as a password or something. I knew better.

My informant had demanded I write my notes on her findings in code so that nothing could be traced back to her.

“What’s happening? You have that look on your face that you only get when you have an epiphany… is that what’s happening right now?” Imogen asked. Her voice was wary but I could feel a tinge of excitement underneath.

“I think so.”

“What’s the note. Some kind of message?”

I nodded. “I’m going to talk to my informant and see what she can get for me.”

Imogen smiled and clapped her hands. “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about! Didn’t I tell you something would come up?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up, she might get nothing.”

Imogen shrugged. “Too late, my hopes are officially up. Now, get this out of the way and then let’s get out of here. It’s currently way past closing and Mama needs a drink!”

I laughed and nodded. My secure burner was in my car, so I’d send my informant a text from there.

“We should bring Capris out with us,” Imogen said. “We haven’t had a girls night in so long and I feel like tonight is the night.”

I cocked an eyebrow, standing up from my desk and shrugging on my jacket. “What are you talking about? We go for drinks basically every Friday.”

“And tonight is no different,” Imogen declared. “Get your ass in gear, girl, because we’re goin’ out. I’ve just decided.”

I chuckled at her antics but nodded.

“Fine. Where do you want to go?”

Imogen gave me a sly look. “What about the Gallows?”

I sent her a flat look in return. “I hope you’re joking.”

The woman grinned. “Come on, Ev. Loosen up a little, have some fun. Besides, don’t you wanna see a certain piece of man candy who I _know_ you’ve been hitting lately.”

I didn’t say a word, instead choosing to voice my discomfort and disapproval of her statement with one glass-cutting glare. Imogen laughed.

“ _Pretty please_ ,” she pleaded. I sighed.

“Immy, we’re cops. We shouldn’t go partying in a biker bar.”

Imogen scoffed, waving me off. “Nonsense. If you have that kind of mindset, you’d never party anywhere. Every bar we go to is going to be filled with salacious and unsavory activities. Every club we attend that isn’t run by cops is going to be filled with illegal activities. We just have to turn a blind eye for a night and get smashed like regular twenty-somethings.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Fine,” I managed to get out. But before I could deny it, my acceptance in going to that bar bloomed a little excitement inside me. I hadn’t seen Jax since our little session in the back of his car.

That was mostly my doing though. Our morning after had been filled with the awkward tension I’d been hoping to avoid the first time we were together. However, after I’d planned to sneak out the same way as last time, Jax caught me in the middle of the act and punished me by making me stay for breakfast.

How sickening.

And I hadn’t contacted him since. Our exchange in the back of his LeSabre was too much for me and I didn’t want to admit to myself that he was crawling under my skin, just like last time. He was making himself comfortable in my space and doing things he wanted to.

Getting comfortable with him was dangerous, and something I was trying to avoid. Going to his buddy’s bar was sure to only make it worse because I had no doubt that he would be there.

Or at least, would be there as soon as one of his friends told him that I was.

And even as all of these thoughts were racing through my head, I couldn’t stop the way my heart missed a beat at the thought of seeing him again. At the thought of seeing his eyes flash at the sight of me, or at the way one look at his disheveled bed head hair would make my pussy clench in anticipation of sex.

It was inevitable. And I knew it. and that’s exactly why I had avoided him.

I couldn’t help myself when I was around him, and that’s exactly how I ended up getting hurt last time. I needed to stop all of this between us before it got out of hand, but I also didn’t want to. That part of me that liked the mystery and the chance of a spike in adrenaline was daring me to test my limits.

And I was too weak against that part of me.

Imogen squealed in delight at my permission to take us to the Gallows. I sighed and pointed a finger at her. “But no funny business,” I said sternly. Imogen rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Only if you promise the same.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I shoved her shoulder with a scoff. We walked out of the precinct and into the parking lot. It was already way past dark.

“I’ll pick you up from yours in an hour,” Imogen confirmed. “Call Capris, yeah? Tell her to get her cute little butt over here asap.”

I chuckled, nodding and waving her off. When I was inside the safety of my car, I texted my informant first from my burner – **need you to find out whatever you can about a guy named ‘Bailey’ –** and then Capris from my regular cell – **Immy is dragging me to the Gallows. You’re coming.**

I got an enthusiastic reply from Capris and nothing more than a thumbs up emoji from my informant. An hour later, I had been home and showered and shrugged on my jeans over a black lace bodysuit.

I was waiting by my door for Imogen’s text that she was here to pick me up. I noted the time on the clock on my microwave – Eleven PM. Daphne gave me a determined meow from at my feet and I cursed. I’d forgotten to feed her.

She rubbed her body up against the bottom of my leg, her pretty blue eyes hidden from me as she closed them. I quickly scratched her behind her head before I picked her up. She settled into my arms as I carried her to the kitchen and placed her down on the floor.

I quickly set up her dinner and she meowed once more before digging in, right as a chime came through my phone with Imogen’s text. Fifteen minutes later, the girls and I were strutting into the Gallows like we owned the place.

It was like I remembered it from the night I’d been here when it was a crime scene, only it was entirely filled with drunk patrons now. I sighed and took a look around. I spotted a familiar face behind the bar and grinned.

I waved Imogen and Capris after me. When I made it to the drinks, the bartender noticed me and gave me a wide smile.

“What the fuck? Haha! What the hell are you doing here tonight?” Cora grinned, reaching over the bar to give me a one-armed hug. I smiled, returning it.

I gestured to my friends behind me. “My girlfriends dragged me out. This is Capris and Imogen.” Both girls waved and Cora gave them a huge smile.

“Sick. I’m Cora, I co-own this place with my brother.”

“You mean, you’re in the MC?” Capris asked. Cora smiled, nodding.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in this place who _isn’t_ one of the DireWolves. For example, my brother is the President, and that chick over there–” Cora pointed to a woman serving drinks at the other end of the bar, “–that’s Luna, his wife.”

Capris nodded. “Cool. The only other MC bar I’ve been to is a rundown one in Lorida that the Diablos own. Trust me when I say that one visit is enough.”

Coraline grinned, chuckling. “I like you,” she said plainly. Capris smiled proudly.

“Free drinks then?” Capris asked. Cora laughed.

“Ballsy,” she noted. “I would’ve given them to you anyway. You can make whatever decisions you want when you’re the boss. So, what can I get you guys?”

The girls ordered their rounds, I stuck with a beer. Imogen dragged Capris off to the dancefloor while I stayed to chat to Cora.

I sipped at my drink slowly; I didn’t want to get plastered. I still remembered the last time I’d gone hard with these girls, I’d woken up with a hickey the size of Texas from Jax. I had not been impressed.

Think of the devil and he shall appear.

I heard the stool beside me screech on the floor before someone sat down. Cora gave me a knowing smile before she slapped a beer down on the counter before the new customer. I gave him a sideways glance.

His dual-colored eyes flashed as he regarded me.

“Never thought I’d see the day you showed your face up in here,” Jax said lowly. I shrugged, taking a swig of my drink.

“Heard you guys know how to put on quite a show.” My voice was nonchalant – almost calm. My blood was singing with the fact that he was sitting so close to me. His foot wrapped around the base of my chair and turned me to face him.

He grinned down at me before his eyes flicked over my shoulder. He chuckled.

“They yours?”

I turned to see what he was talking about. My eyes fell on my girls grinding up against two dudes wearing leather jackets. They were both laughing. I was glad they were having a good time. I turned back to Jax with a roll of my eyes. He chuckled.

“You could say that.”

Before our conversation could move further, I heard something behind me. Someone had said my name loud enough for me to hear them over the music, followed by a curse.

The voice was familiar, and they were obviously close by. Before I turned around, I looked up at Jax to see a dark glare painted across his features. I frowned and turned.

The last person I expected to see was standing two stools down from me, and his arm was slowly pulling away from where it had been wrapped around the waist of my ex-boyfriend.

I hadn’t seen teeth or tail of either of them in the two weeks since Mikey and I had split. Not even a text from Tyler to see if I was okay. These two weeks had given me time to see his true colors, and see how he really felt about our friendship.

They were so obviously here on a date. They’d obviously picked this bar because of my aversion to it, believing I’d never set foot in it again. And to their obvious surprise, I was sitting and having a civil conversation with the last person they’d ever expected.

I could feel Jax’s anger rolling off him from behind me. I placed my hand on his forearm behind me, trying to calm him down. I didn’t want him to give Mikey another black eye. He’d been lucky last time that Mikey hadn’t pressed assault charges.

I don’t know if my hand on his arm worked at quelling his anger, but he hadn’t lunged at the couple yet. So, that was a plus, I guess. I took a deep breath.

“What are you doing here?” Tyler asked, his voice shaky and unsure. His eyes were wary and sad. He was giving me a look like he missed me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and scoff. He was an asshole who had an affair with my boyfriend. He deserved every piece of soul destroying guilt that he felt.

“She’s on a date,” Jax growled from behind me. I rolled my eyes and pinched his skin. _Why did he have to say that?_ I was not here on a fucking date.

“Really?” Mikey voiced, worry in his eyes as he looked Jax up and down. He knew all about my past with him, about everything I’d been through in high school. Mine and Jax’s story had been told as part of the obligatory girlfriend-boyfriend chat about past partners.

“No,” I turned to give Jax a glare. To his credit, he didn’t back down. He looked murderous, though, like he was ready to pummel the couple into the ground just for showing their faces in his bar. “I’m here with friends.”

Mikey visibly exhaled and Tyler bit his lip. Before either of them could say anything, Capris and Imogen emerged hand in hand from the crowd. They were wearing big smiles, oblivious to the exchange that I was having.

When Capris caught wind of the look on my face, her eyebrows furrowed and her laughing stopped. Her eyes quickly washed over the tall dangerous blond behind me who surely looked ready to strike, before she realized who his anger was directed at.

Her eyes fell on Mikey with a venomous glare, then she realized Tyler was beside him. One look at Imogen’s face told me that she was on the same page. It wouldn’t take either of them long to figure it out.

I hadn’t told either of them what really conspired between Mikey and I, because I wasn’t ready to admit out loud that I wasn’t enough for someone and so he’d gone and cheated on me.

A whirlwind of hurt crossed both of my friend’s faces as they realized that their – former – friend, Tyler, had broken up my relationship. The new couple’s status was evident in the close way they stood next to each other and the way they kept a hand on each other.

Tyler had an expression that was like he was the prey, and we were the predators. Good, he deserved to feel like he was trapped.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Capris finally asked.

“I second that,” Imogen chimed. I frowned. I didn’t want this to turn into a bar fight but that kind of seemed inevitable at this point. Jax was ready to snap and Capris and Imogen was coiled to lash out.

Tyler was their friend too, and by betraying me, he’d lost their trust. I wasn’t the bad guy in this situation, he was, and something told me he’d never felt this way before. He kept reaching up and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Michael and I – we… umm… Well we–” Tyler stuttered, stammering over his words. I glared at him. I interrupted before he could finish, turning to my girls to tell them the story straight.

“They had an affair,” I said bluntly. Tyler grimaced and Mikey winced. Capris’ eyes widened and Imogen’s glare deepened. “I found out two weeks ago.”

“–Are you fucking kidding me!” Capris screeched.

“–This is some kind of sick joke, right?” Imogen spat.

I shook my head.

I felt Jax’s hand wrap protectively over mine, squeezing it. I let out a small breath at the motion, not realizing I’d need a form of comfort in this situation. I was surprised to feel relieved that said comfort was being expressed by Jax.

I shook off my surprise and looked dead in Tyler’s eyes.

“Tell them,” I told the men before me. “Tell them how _you_ cheated on me,” I said to Mikey, “And how _you_ broke up a four-year relationship,” I said to Tyler.

I turned back to the girls. “Almost two months ago, I might add. Some friends, huh?”

Capris looked livid and she cracked her knuckles. Imogen sneered.

Capris marched forward and slapped Tyler across the face before kneeing Mikey in the balls. They both doubled over in pain.

“I hope it was worth it, because you just lost three friends,” I said. Tyler’s lips parted in a silent cry, he looked pained in more ways than just from being slapped.

Good. He should.

I ripped my hand from Jax’s and stormed from the bar. Capris and Imogen were right behind me.

“Ev, I’m so fucking sorry, I had no idea,” Capris tried.

“That was so fucking low, I can’t believe either of them had the nerve,” Imogen spat.

“That was low?” Capris huffed. “I had a lunch date with Tyler just last week and he didn’t bother to spill the beans on any of that crap. Some friend.”

I turned around to my friends and wiped a hand over my face.

“Enough,” I said.

Capris sighed. “Hun, why didn’t you tell us?”

“Did you think we wouldn’t take your side?” Imogen asked. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“Of course not. I had every intention of telling you guys, I just needed time to process it first,” I said. “Look, can we just not talk about it?”

Capris frowned but nodded. Imogen bit her lip before both girls gave each other a knowing look. Two seconds later I was enveloped in a group hug. I laughed bitterly as I embraced my best friends.

“Come on,” Imogen said after pulling away. “Let’s go back to mine and drown in brownie batter.”

I nodded weakly and Capris linked her arm with mine.

And my girls didn’t disappoint. We spent the rest of the night and early morning at Imogen’s house eating uncooked brownie batter and playing stupid drinking games. I lay on her couch in the dark watching reruns of _Gilmore Girls_ on her tv after my friends had passed out.

My phone buzzed.

**Where are you? –J**

I frowned and opened the text.

**Staying with a friend. Why? –E**

**Are you okay? –J**

I smiled without realizing it. It was nice to know he cared enough to check up on me.

**I’m fine. Just tired. –E**

**I can wake you up. Get your tiny little ass over here right now –J**

I laughed out loud before covering my mouth out of fear I’d wake up my friends.

**Get fucked –E**

**I’m trying to –J**

I grinned, chuckling to myself. I rolled my eyes. Even when I thought he was nice and being sincere, his inner fuckboy surfaced. Despite how horny he was, I knew he was doing it in part to make me laugh – I ignored the part of him that was serious about his proposal.

**Beat yourself off. I told you I wouldn’t be your booty call –E**

**You’re killing me –J**

**Not my problem tonight –E**

**Have fun with your friends –J**

I smiled.

**I will. Thanks for checking in, warden. –E**

He didn’t reply, so I closed off my phone before turning off the tv. I settled on Imogen’s couch and tried to fall asleep. As annoyed as I was about how the girls had found out about the real reason my relationship had ended, I was glad that they knew.

It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

It was kind of refreshing.

I gave a sigh of relief before letting unconsciousness take me.

.

**So, Imogen and Capris finally found out about Mikey and Tyler. Anyone else agree with their reaction?**


	24. 22

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**Everly**

I groaned as I rolled over on the couch. My limbs felt stiff from my sleeping position. I heard a chuckle from near my head as my eyes fluttered open.

Capris was grinning down at me, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. She looked disheveled and her makeup as smudged. I sat up quick enough to give myself a headrush, but ignored it and took the outstretched drink greedily.

“Slow down, it’s hot,” she laughed. I ignored the burn on my tongue and gulped down the drink, wanting as much caffeine in my system as I could get. When I came up for a breath, Imogen had joined us in the living room with her own coffee.

Hers was iced.

They gave me twin looks of concern slash pity. I frowned.

“What?”

They gave each other a knowing look before turning back to me.

“What the hell happened last night?” Imogen asked.

“Yeah,” Capris chimed. “We rock up and you’ve got a biker on your arm within two minutes – don’t think we didn’t notice how protective he was of you – and then your ex shows up with our best friend as his fucking date and you didn’t even think to tell us they were together?”

“And that that’s the real reason you guys broke up,” Imogen added.

I sighed, setting down my drink. I fell back into my seat and gave my girls a broken look.

“I told you I didn’t want to talk about it,” I said meekly. I hated the feeling that was settling in my gut.

Capris scoffed. “Tough shit! You’ve kept this from us long enough. What really happened with you and Mikey. We deserve the truth.”

I sighed and looked at Imogen. She at least had the decency to look apologetic about what she too was demanding from me. She gave me a half shrug but, in the end, her body was as leaned in as Capris’ was, so she wanted all the gritty details as much as my nosy best friend.

“Fine.” I glared at the girls. They were being mean. If I didn’t want to talk about it then I shouldn’t have to, but Capris so obviously wasn’t taking no for an answer. Plus, she kind of had a point. Tyler _was_ their friend, too. They deserved to know how everything happened.

“I don’t know who messaged who first, but two weeks ago, I found threads of texts between Mikey and Tyler going back about a month. Nudes, sexting, everything. They’d been hooking up and hiding it from me. Mikey told me he was scared that I’d hate him for figuring out he was gay.

“I told him that that wasn’t going to excuse what he’d done. I told him that I would have understood if he’d come to me with his realization before going anywhere with it, but he decided to be a coward and go behind my back just to avoid coming out to me. I would have been supportive if he’d just come straight to me, and we would’ve been able to end on good terms, but instead he decided to be an absolute asshole.

“So, yeah. He and Tyler are together now, and I refuse to speak to them for the time being.”

Capris’ jaw was on the floor and Imogen had a glare on her face.

“What two faced, fuck-heads!” Imogen spat. “I can’t believe he cheated on you like that.”

“I can’t believe he thought you’d hate him for being gay,” Capris said. “This is the twenty-first century, love who you want to love but I totally get your point. You don’t just cheat on someone because it’s easier than ending a relationship.”

Imogen’s eyes widened. “Wait, did you guys still have a sex life while this was going on? Was he fucking you both at the same time? Please tell me he wrapped his dick.”

I cringed. “Yeah, we were still having sex. Yes, he wore a condom.”

Capris swore. “I can’t believe that asshole! He says he’s gay but then he’ll still fuck you? That’s messed up! I swear, the next time I see that fucker, I’ll kick his ass to fucking Canada!”

I sighed. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

Capris waved me off. “Hush. He deserves every piece of shit I throw his way. Tyler too; I can’t believe he kept up being your friend when he was fucking your boyfriend on the side.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This was a lot to take so early in the morning. Imogen put a hand on my thigh.

“We’re sorry we pried,” she tried. Capris just scoffed.

“Maybe you are but I’m not. I’m going to march down to that fucking ice cream parlor and give that cheating bastard a piece of my fucking mind!”

I shook my head. “Seriously, you don’t need to. Look, in the last couple of months Mikey and I were together, it was getting straining. We had fallen out of love and he wasn’t making me happy anymore, I think he felt the same. Yeah, it’s shitty what he did but I kind of don’t really care.”

Imogen gave me a curious look.

I sighed. “Do you want to know what the first thing I felt was, when I found out and stormed out of that apartment?” Capris gave me an odd look and I shrugged. “I honestly felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. I felt relieved and kind of free.”

Imogen eyed me warily. “So, when did you start sleeping with Jax?”

Capris’ mouth gaped open. “You what!? You slept with him and didn’t fucking tell me? Fuck, I need to move back here just to keep up with your shit,” Capris screeched. I rolled my eyes, a small blush coming to my cheeks.

“I went to Jax’s apartment right after I left Mikey’s,” I said. Imogen’s mouth dropped.

“Well, that didn’t take long.”

I rolled my eyes. “I was angry that Mikey had hidden crap from me and just wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t judge me and wouldn’t ask a million questions. Jax is an asshole but at least he’s a good fuck,” I said. “He helped me take my mind off my dead relationship.”

Capris was glaring at me. “I cannot believe you slept with him and didn’t tell me. Is that why he was sitting so close to you last night? And he looked ready to rip Mikey’s head off at the end there.”

I sighed. “I’ve kind of, been with him a few times since then, too…”

Imogen chuckled at my confession and Capris gasped.

“You little hussy,” she laughed, a gleam in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’ve been getting dick around here the whole time. No wonder you declined every offer I gave you to come clubbing with me at home.”

I shrugged and the girls squealed.

“Wait, so what’s happening? Are you guys dating now?”

My eyes widened and I shook my head vehemently. “Absolutely not! He’s an unbelievable pain in my ass. I don’t know, it just a good way for me to release some frustration with my case. I refuse to let it go any further than casual sex.”

Capris scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Bullshit. That’s complete bull and you know it. He’s gonna worm his way into your life just like he did last time. You guys are like magnets, you can’t resist eachother.”

I waved her off. “Well, it won’t happen this time. He’s just good for casual sex right now, I don’t want anything more from him and he knows it. When the case is over, I’ll go back to Lorida and forget about him.”

Imogen laughed. “Good luck with that babe. But, I guess for now, you can just enjoy yourself. Let loose and just have fun.”

I laughed, taking another sip from my drink, which was now lukewarm.

.

Later in the day, I was sitting in my apartment, in my bedroom. My case files were spread across my mattress as I tried to make sense of Philips’ movements for the past few weeks.

I was committing everything he’d done and every place he’d been seen since he’d been released from custody. My phone buzzed beside me with a text.

**Come to the clubhouse. Jax wouldn’t tell me anything and I wanna talk about last night. –C**

I frowned and sighed. I didn’t want to rehash – all over again – my relationship with Mikey, to Cora. This story was becoming draining for me. But, I knew she was just like Capris and she would eventually stop taking no for an answer, so I may as well get this over with.

**Fine. I’ll be there in 20. –E**

**Cool. You know the address? –C**

I sent her a thumbs up emoji before I gathered my feet into my shoes. I was out the door in the next few minutes, stopping only to get an apple from my fridge.

I ate it on the way over and threw the core out my window into a lush garden. It disappeared into a hedge. I rolled up at the estate and waited at the gate. There was a prospect sitting at the gate.

I rolled down my window and he chuckled as he gave me a once over.

“Cops aren’t allowed in,” he said. “Pres’ orders.”

I rolled my eyes. “I was invited here, asshole. Call Coraline.”

The boy frowned but picked up the phone. Not two minutes later, he gave me a glare and opened the gate for me. I grinned smugly at him before driving into the compound. It looked as it had the last time I’d been here, which was over ten years ago.

There were a few new buildings but it was the same vibe. There were bikes and cars everywhere. I ignored the few glances that I got from lingering men wearing leather cuts and made my way up to the clubhouse.

It was the largest building on the lot, and with the window down, I could hear the noise from here. I slammed the door to the car and made my way up the front steps on the porch. There were a few middle-aged guys sitting on worn and torn furniture, having a smoke.

They regarded me with a respectful nod as my hand landed on the door handle. I gave them a nod in return before I made my way inside. The noise was louder now and I frowned. Men were yelling and laughing.

I looked around. I couldn’t see Cora anywhere so I decided to follow the noise. It led me outside to the back courtyard. Men clad in leather and denim were standing around in a circle, pumping their fists as two young men brawled between them.

My eyebrow raised when I saw his crop of blond hair between the shoulders of two beefy bikers. I frowned. Why the hell was he fighting someone?

I pushed my way through the group until I laid eyes on the two men. I watched as Jax landed a swooping kick under the other guy’s legs, sending him flat on his back. His eyes flipped up for a moment, frowning in shock as he laid eyes on me.

His opponent used the moment of distraction against him and flipped up onto his feet like you would see in a kung fu movie. He punched Jax in the stomach. Jax let out a grunt and whipped back with full force.

He got nice and close and kneed his opponent in the gut. The kid whipped Jax across the face, splitting his lip. The crowd roared as Jax got the upper hand and gave the kid an almighty upper cut.

The kid fell to the floor with a loud groan. Jax was clapped on the back as the winner of the fight and I rolled my eyes with a scowl. I pushed back past the men. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jax ignore his brothers congratulating him as he darted after me.

Did he get some sick enjoyment out of beating people up? The kid he’d just knocked out couldn’t have been older than twenty-three. I stormed back into the house, knowing Jax was right behind me. I ignored him.

Once inside, I took the stairs two at a time before finding the door I knew opened into Jax’s private quarters. All of the brothers with a title in the MC all held a room at the clubhouse. I had been in Jax’s room a few times before. It used to be his dad’s and he used to bring me up here to make out in high school.

When I walked inside, I turned when I got to the foot of the bed, my arms crossed against my chest. I faced the doorway. Jax eventually came into view and stood in the doorframe. I glared at him and his eyes till held some of the shock from before.

He didn’t think he’d ever see me in this place again.

“What the fuck was that?”

“What are you doing here?” he countered. I didn’t answer him. Instead I eyed the split in his lip. It was bleeding all down his chin, mixing with the small amount of stubble there.

He looked like he hadn’t slept last night and my mind briefly wandered to the texts he’d sent me before I’d gone to sleep. I sighed and uncrossed my arms. Jax moved and shut the door behind him as I walked to his bathroom.

I rummaged under the sink, finding a first aid kit. I opened it to find that half the shit was missing but there was some rubbing alcohol and some other things I could use. I walked back out to the bedroom and he raised his eyebrow.

“Sit,” I said, gesturing to the bed. Jax didn’t question it and sat down. I moved to stand between his spread legs. I ignored it when he placed his arms behind my knees, holding me in place.

I put some of the alcohol on a cloth and pressed it to his lip. To his credit, he didn’t wince or anything. I dabbed at the skin, drawing away the blood before I pressed it down to stop the bleeding entirely. His eyes didn’t leave my face as his was tilted up to mine. It was slightly unnerving, I don’t even know if he blinked.

“Cora wanted to talk about last night.”

Jax frowned and I looked into his eyes, my eyes grazed over a bruise that was blooming on his cheekbone. He’d need ice for that.

“And she asked you to come _here_?” His voice was disbelieving, curious even.

I frowned, nodding.

“But… Cora isn’t in town,” he said. “She and Gage are in Miami on an impromptu weekend getaway?”

I frowned. Why the fuck did she ask me to come here then? To waste my time? I sighed, shrugging.

“Well, I don’t know then. She just texted me asking me to come by.”

Jax nodded, still frowning. His eyes had that faraway look where I knew he wasn’t telling me everything. I pushed the thought from my mind.

“Okay, so now tell me what the hell that was about downstairs.”

His hands unintentionally gripped at the back of my thighs, drawing me minutely closer to him. I moved my hands to his forehead where there was a slight cut. I pressed the alcohol rub to his skin and he hissed slightly.

“Kid was running his mouth,” Jax said vaguely. I frowned.

“About what? What garners getting the shit kicked out of him?”

He was silent for a while, before finally, “He was talking about you.”

I froze and leaned away from him, trying to catch his eye. He stared hard up into mine, unwavering. I frowned.

“What?”

Jax shrugged slightly. “Starting talking about last night, about how he wouldn’t mind sinking his dick into the cute Asian by the bar. The one who came in with a white and a black bird.”

My mouth fell open slightly.

“Seriously?”

Jax shrugged. I scowled.

“Why do you even care?”

Jax raised a condescending eyebrow at me and I rolled my eyes. His deft fingers were stroking patterns into my jeans. He looked away from me.

“I don’t want other guys looking at you like that,” he muttered. My heart fluttered slightly.

“Why?” Even to my ears, my voice sounded breathless. Jax was silent.

“Because I don’t want anyone else mixing up in my business.” He moved back to stare at me and I think my heart stopped for a moment. I didn’t think he’d actually admit it.

I crinkled my nose and he frowned. He squeezed my thighs slightly before he stood up, startling me. His hands moved to link around my waist. He towered over me, looking down into my eyes. My hands rested at the front of his abdomen.

“Are you seeing anyone else?” he asked me, his voice hard, his eyes harder. I frowned.

“Would it matter if I was?” My voice was low.

Jax scoffed. “Course it would.”

“Are _you_?” I countered. If anyone was more likely to be sleeping around between the two of us, it was him. Jax paused for a moment.

I rolled my eyes and suddenly felt sickly in his arms. “Figures…” I muttered, trying to squirm out of his grip. Jax just tightened his hold on me. My fingers gripped his t-shirt. He stared down into my eyes, trapping me there.

“Do you want me to be?” he asked, his voice sincere. I frowned as his eyes searched mine. I didn’t know what he was looking for. Doubt? Insecurity? Lust?

Did I want him sleeping around on me? Well, that statement would imply that he was mine. Did I want him to be mine? Wouldn’t that mean that I was his? _Didn’t you say you wanted to keep this casual?_ I asked myself.

“Of course not,” I finally said. Jax gave me a small, smirk and I rolled my eyes at how my statement had sounded. I pinched him through his shirt. “I just meant that I don’t want you to pass on any kind of disease onto me. Your regulars are probably riddled with them.”

Jax chuckled.

“Alright. So, neither of us are seeing anyone else then?” I said. Jax shook his head.

“Guess not.” His voice was tender and low. I didn’t know why, but his small admission set butterflies in my stomach. I hated that feeling. It made me queasy and excited at the same time.

I bit my lip. We had basically just admitted that we were exclusive with each other in our quest for casual sex. Did that make us fuck buddies?

Before I could question it further, he moved forward and pressed a soft, tender kiss to my lips. A small noise of surprise filtered from my throat and he chuckled, holding me close to him. I could taste the blood from his lip as my tongue ran over it slowly.

My eyes closed for a moment but the kiss was over before I could fully enjoy it, as Jax pulled away. I felt dazed, but the sharp crack of his palm against my ass brought me out of my reverie.

He chuckled as I glared at him.

“Why? Why do you do that? Why do you have to ruin shit?”

Jax just grinned and shut me up by pecking my lips once more. “Thanks for stitching me up, babe.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away from me, crossing my arms across my chest.

“Whatever. Well, if Cora isn’t here, then I’m going home to nap.”

“Need a partner?” he joked.

“Don’t push your luck, and don’t beat up anyone else.” I rolled my eyes and waved him off before heading out of his room.

“Can’t promise anything,” he called after me. I rolled my eyes again, smirking slightly as I made my way down the stairs. It had been an interesting Saturday.

.

**What do we think about their new deal to be ‘exclusive’ fuck buddies?**


	25. 23

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

**Everly**

Sunday. I’d woken up to the blaring text tone coming from my phone. I rolled over with a scowl and the want to throw my cell at the wall and ignore whoever the fuck was interrupting me so early.

I could see my father’s name blinking back at me and I sighed, opening the message.

**Etsuko. It would be in your best interests to meet me at the diner in town at 0900. We have much to discuss. Regards, ChiChi.**

I groaned loudly, burying my face in my pillow so that my neighbors didn’t mistake my muffled screams for my murder. I didn’t want to talk to my father. After his open display of disdain for my job and dinner weeks ago, I wasn’t in the mood to hear him shit on my career again.

My eyes skimmed over the time on my alarm clock. I had half an hour to make myself look presentable for breakfast. Otherwise, my father would make his way over here. I hadn’t told him about mine and Mikey’s relationship ending, or finding a new apartment, but I’m sure he already knew.

My mother had nosy friends all over town who no doubt spilled the beans on my current living situation.

I knew that these were the reasons he’d summoned me for breakfast. I rolled my eyes and managed to drag myself from my sheets. My father didn’t appreciate tardiness, but I didn’t care. He could sit and stew for an extra five minutes while I washed my hair at least.

.

Walking into the diner was giving me a weird sense of déjà vu. The last time I’d been in here had been before I’d slept with Jax. He’d given me his number.

I spotted my father at a window booth with a cup of tea in between his hands. I rolled my eyes, noting his freshly pressed button down and slacks, matched with the sleek leather shoes on his feet.

His hair – what was left of it – was styled with gel and pushed out of his face. Everything was prim, proper and tidy. I don’t think he could have looked more pretentious and out of place if he tried.

A diner was no place for a man as well-to-do as my father. I myself was dressed in ratty week-old jeans and a _Jack Daniels_ tee with a red-checked flannel tied around my waist. I slumped over to his booth and fell into my seat.

An attendant was by my side before my father could speak, asking me what I’d like to order.

“Coffee, black and a toasted English muffin with strawberry jam please.”

The waitress nodded and left and I looked down at the table, ignoring the snarky expression on my father’s face.

“Good morning, Etsuko,” he said, “Well rested, I assume?”

I looked up slowly and cocked my eyebrow. “Really, ChiChi? We’re starting with niceties? Why don’t you just tell me what you want?”

My father didn’t crack a smile. His face was like a rock – hard and boring.

“Why do you always assume I have an ulterior motive, Etsuko? Can’t a father enjoy a casual breakfast with his only daughter?”

I rolled my eyes. “You woke me up before midday on a Sunday. You’d better have a good reason other than just a sudden want to be close to me.”

My father sighed. “I don’t know where you learnt such disrespect, Eti, it surely wasn’t from your mother and I.”

I sighed. I was getting nowhere with him. The waitress set down my coffee and I gladly jumped at the chance to break our conversation. _Oh caffeine gods, give me the strength to get through the next however long conversation with this man._

When my mug came away from my lips, my father was sending me a disapproving scowl.

“What is wrong with you, Etsuko. You are drinking like you’ve been stuck in the Sahara for a month. Have some decorum about you, we are in a public place and these people deserve basic manners.” He gestured to the three other people occupying the diner. None of them were paying attention to them.

To annoy him, I stuck my tongue out and licked away a droplet that spilled down the lip of my mug. My father scowled and I gave myself a mental pat on the back.

He sighed, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he sipped his tea. I would act like a child if he was going to speak to me like one. I didn’t care what these people thought.

“Where is Michael this morning?” my father asked. I scowled and fiddled with my mug handle. I shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know. We broke up.”

My father gasped like it was new news, but the gleam in his eye told me all I really needed to know.

“Oh, no,” he feigned surprise. “What happened?”

I rolled my eyes. “He fucked my friend.” My voice was casual and I delighted in the way that my father’s cup dropped harshly against his plate in shock. He hated my language. I couldn’t give a rats ass.

“Etsuko, that is no way to speak!” His voice was a harsh whisper and I sighed.

“Don’t act like you didn’t already know. It’s the reason I’m here, right?”

My father gave me a careful look before nodding once, slowly and precisely. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat. The waitress came and handed me my muffin.

I lathered it in jam and took an earnest bite. It was kind of burnt but it was still better than anything I would have made myself at home.

“Your mother and I think it is time that you begin thinking seriously about settling down. We have a few suitors interested in your current single status. They all come from very good Japanese families and I think each of them could be a great match for you.”

I glared at him.

“Settle down? Are you serious?” I scoffed.

My father sighed, tilting his head slightly.

“Etsuko, we know you’ve had fun with this police job that you’ve taken up but your mother and I are tired of waiting. We’ve entertained these silly aspirations for a few years and now its time to make some more permanent decisions.”

I rolled my eyes angrily. “You have got to be kidding me. My job is not some fucking hobby because I’m bored of waiting for a man to come and buy me a house only to expect me to clean and cook for him. I like what I do. This is the twenty-first century and if I want to work then that’s my right. I’m not some little girl who will be married off to the first handsome face that is forced to smile my way.”

My father glared at me.

“Do not speak to me in that tone,” he warned. I laughed in his face.

“Then stop saying ridiculous shit. I’m not just going to marry a stranger and pop out ten children just to please you.”

“Etsuko, it is time for you to grow up. You are a woman, it is your time, it is your d–”

I cut him off. “Don’t you fucking dare. If you say that it’s my fucking _duty_ as a woman, I will pour your damn tea down your pants. I was not put on this earth just to make more people. I am my own person and I make my own fucking choices.”

He glared at me. I had been listening to this fucking anti-feminist men-own-women women-are-property bullshit my entire life. I wasn’t here for it and I didn’t believe any of it.

I glared right back at him, taking a bite out of my muffin in the process. Then I spoke with my mouth full just to spite him.

“You can pay for breakfast, seeing as you seem to think that you have a right to every decision in my life. In the meantime, I have my own apartment, a steady paying job, and my own common sense to make my own choices. When you and mom are ready to accept that my life is my own, give me a fucking call.”

I stood up angrily and stormed out of the diner, leaving my father fuming in his seat. With a satisfied smirk, I fell into my car seat and drove to the one person who would understand what I was going through.

I was beginning to sense a pattern here.

Capris was right. I was running back to him to fix my problems, like last time.

No. She was wrong. I didn’t want him to fix my problems, I just wanted someone to listen. And Jax was great at listening. And he was also great at making me forget.

I opened the door to his workshop before making my way upstairs to his apartment. He wasn’t in his freakishly clean kitchen so I assumed he was still asleep. When I creeped open the door, my suspicions were confirmed.

He was lying on his back in only a pair of sweatpants. He had one arm behind his head and the other hand resting on his abdomen. His eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly.

I shrugged off my jeans and my flannel, leaving them in a pile on the floor before I crawled onto his bed. I lay myself down beside him, breathing in that smell of car grease and cigarettes. When my head hit the pillow, his body rustled slightly. He turned his head and eyed me.

He frowned slightly with a confused grin before an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me close to him.

“Miss me already?” His voice was gruff as he teased me. My palm stroked from his abdomen to his pec and stayed over his chest, toying with a nipple.

“I had breakfast with my dad.” My voice was nothing more than a whisper. Jax groaned and rolled over, pulling me close and trapping me underneath him. His mouth came down hard over mine and his tongue made its way into my mouth.

I moaned. This is what I wanted. I wanted to forget.

When he released me, he lifted off me slightly, before he moved me in front of him. He pulled my ass flush against his pelvis and wrapped his arm around my waist. He nestled his face into my neck and breathed in deeply.

I used his other arm as a pillow as his front pressed against my back. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. My hand came down and my fingers twined with his at his waist.

It had been a long time since I’d spooned with someone. Weirdly, it didn’t feel weird. Despite the hardness I could feel in the crack of my ass, I was relaxed.

“Just sleep, babe. We can talk about it later,” he said lowly. He pressed a kiss against the shell of my ear and then his lips dragged down to that place where my ear met my neck. It was incredibly sensitive and he knew it. He kissed that spot slowly, making me relax into his embrace even more.

I could feel my eyes grow heavy as he coaxed me into sleep.

.

When I woke up, I was alone. The room was dimmer with afternoon light and I sat up groggily. I could hear something in Jax’s living room, so I followed the noise.

He was sitting on his couch with a beer in hand, watching football on his television.

“Finally paid your cable bill, huh?” I said, leaning against the doorframe. Jax’s eyes whipped to mine, just noticing I was there. He grinned, chuckling and taking a swig of his beer.

“Guess so.” He gestured towards the couch but I ignored him. I walked past him and into the kitchen. I opened his fridge, eyeing his food and letting my stomach decide what I was hungry for. In the end, I settled on an apple.

I took a bite of the crisp fruit as I walked back to Jax. Before he could say anything, I sat myself down in his lap. He laughed and a hand came down on my leg, stroking easily at my skin.

There was a small grin playing across his lips.

I had decided that since we’d made our deal yesterday at the clubhouse, I was just going to let myself be at ease with him and around him. I was sick of playing games with guys and right now I just wanted to have fun.

And Jax knows how to have fun.

I eyed the tv with a bored look, eating my apple slowly. Neither of us said a word and for the second time that day, I was hit with a wave of déjà vu. I was getting comfortable around him faster than I thought I would.

When I finished my apple, he reached for the remote and turned off the screen. His hands then came to my waist and turned me around so that I was straddling his waist. I had one leg over each side and I was leaning down. I watched him carefully.

He eyed me warily.

“Tell me what happened with your dad,” he said. I grimaced, sighing.

I debated whether or not I should tell him.

_Thought you wanted someone to listen to your problems? Jax is great at listening._

I ran a hand through my hair.

“He found out about Mikey. Don’t know how, probably from one of my mother’s nosy big-mouthed friends.”

Jax didn’t say anything, encouraging me to keep going as he drew slow circles on the skin of my thighs. I was acutely aware of the face that I was wearing only a pair of underwear and that he was just dressed in sweats.

“He told me that now I’m single, I should let him marry me off to the son of one of his friends. Says I should be with a nice Jap boy who can give me a good life.”

I tried not to dwell on the way Jax’s hands gripped me over so slightly tighter at the mention of marriage. I ignored it.

“He told me that my job is a hobby and that its time to grow up and assume my position as the perfect housewife.”

Jax chuckled slightly and I glared down at him.

“What’s funny?”

Jax shrugged. “Nothing. I was just imagining you cleaning a house in one of those maid outfits that you see in shitty pornos.”

I rolled my eyes and moved to get off him. Jax grinned and slapped my ass before holding me at the waist, keeping me in place.

I glared at him. He grinned.

“He’s crazy if he think’s you’d ever just be someone’s wife.”

I sighed, ignoring the zing that went through me at the ass slap. I could feel every minute movement of his body against mine and I wanted nothing more than to shed the layers between us.

Before I could say anything, Jax leaned up and captured me in a kiss. My eyes fell closed as I let him take what he wanted from my lips. They massaged mine and I moaned slightly as my arms cupped his face.

His hands squeezed at my thighs, drawing me closer. I unconsciously started grinding myself against him. He chuckled into our kiss.

He pulled away for a moment. He looked dazed and I smirked.

“I hope you told him to shove it,” Jax said, his voice low. I paused, regarding his words. I nodded once and Jax chuckled. His fingers then dipped into the waistband of my panties and tore them open.

I gasped and he took the opportunity to stick his tongue in my mouth. My panties fell away from my body when he picked me up and lay me down on the couch. My eyes closed and I grinned into our kiss.

This is what I had wanted in the first place.

_Just help me forget._

_._

**You’ll enjoy the next few chapters I have coming up. We’re starting to get into the meat of the story now.**


	26. 24

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

Jax groaned lowly when his pelvis pressed against mine. I began edging his sweats down his legs with my pants. I needed us closer together however I could get him.

His hands pulled my shirt upwards from my waist and I raised my arms to let it slide off. Jax immediately locked his lips onto my neck and I wound my arms around his shoulders.

I moaned when he nipped at my skin with his teeth. My feet managed to drag his pants away and he kicked them off, leaving him naked hovering over me. I felt as the tip of his cock brushed against my pussy lips, making me gasp slightly.

Jax lay his mouth over mine and he moved my body so that he could unclasp my bra. When I shrugged it off, we were lying together, skin to skin.

He felt warm. I pushed him to sit up and I straddled him, running my hands through his hair and gripping at the nape of his neck to hold him close to me.

His hands were on my ass, stroking at the skin. His thumb brushed against my starfish and I jolted slightly. I pulled away and eyed him carefully. He was grinning suggestively and I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously?”

Jax shrugged. “I seem to remember that you’re not opposed to the back door.”

I frowned. “Well… it’s been a long time since I let anyone in there…”

Jax chuckled. “Really? Your ex likes ass so much I figured he would’ve at least tried.”

I rolled my eyes, shrugging. Jax’s lips left gentle kisses over my collarbone as I considered how to answer him. “I never did that with Mikey. The most he ever went back there was his finger.”

Jax pulled away, shock evident in his eyes. “Seriously? The ass is like holy grail for guys. I can’t believe he wasn’t interested…”

I shoved Jax’s shoulder slightly, making him jostle beneath me. I jolted when his cock pressed against my pussy. I began grinding against him slowly and I could feel myself letting go. He grinned and leaned upwards, pressing his lips to mine languidly.

His hands were still on my ass, gripping at the skin there and guiding my slow grinding against him. I could feel my nipples hardening in the cool air as they rubbed against his chest.

I teased his hair in my fingers as I kept him close to me.

I hadn’t done full anal in years, actually, come to think of it, probably not since I’d broken up with Jax the first time. So, that kind of meant that Jax was the only one who’d ever really been back there.

My core clenched at that particular realization. I knew I was tight back there, and I knew that Jax knew what he was doing, but a part of me was having trouble seeing why this might be a bad idea.

My body was remembering the feeling of him inside my back door, and I wanted to feel that way again. I wanted to feel full and I wanted the sting that came with good sex.

I pulled away from Jax and looked into his eyes seriously. “Like I said, I haven’t had anyone back there in a while. So, you gotta take it slow,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Jax grinned triumphantly at me, his eyes widening like a schoolboy’s.

I rolled my eyes and he slapped my ass with a chuckle.

“Aces, babe.”

He adjusted me slightly so that I was hovering over his length. He pulled me down and coaxed himself into my kitty. I knew what he was doing. He wanted me to have an orgasm to loosen up before he ventured behind.

No complaints here.

My core clenched and I hissed as I sunk down on his length. He was hard and I reveled in the caress of my walls over every one of the veins in his length. I sighed in content when I felt his tip kiss my womb as he was seated fully inside me.

I threw my head back and he pressed his lips to my neck, sucking on a new mark no doubt. I let out a low moan when he began to retreat inside me. His hands on my hips helped me to raise off him before sinking back down again.

My breaths became shorter as his pace increased. My hands were on his shoulders and my fingers dug into the muscles there. Jax groaned into my neck and I could feel the vibrations travel all the way down to my pussy lips.

His cock kicked inside me, spurring a jolt from me, which made me gasp as a small orgasm washed over me. My eyes were closed tightly as he rode me through the fastest release I’d ever felt. When he withdrew, he moved a hand downwards to gather my cream.

My chest heaved as he moved his hand further downwards and pressed his fingers against my starfish. He leaned me backwards slightly for my leverage. My stomach clenched when he began rubbing at my asshole with my cum, working it into my opening.

He did this a few times, going back to my pussy to gather more of my wetness before spreading it to my ass. I gasped when he pushed his digit inside. He was met with resistance at the first ring, and massaged me slowly.

I moaned when he was able to push further. Before I knew what was happening, his forefinger was pushed inside my asshole, up to the knuckle.

My breath was releasing from my lips in pants. He worked in and out of me, loosening me up before adding a second finger.

_“Oh, fuck,”_ I moaned in a breathy voice, gyrating against him. My body shuddered with the foreign feeling. I hadn’t felt this in years. It had never been like this with Mikey. My eyes were shut tightly and he added a third finger.

He used the three digits to widen me by scissoring his fingers in a triangular fashion and I swore again. He thrust them in and out of me quickly twice and then once slowly. He repeated his pattern too many times for me count.

“Hold on,” he warned, and I instinctively gripped harder onto his shoulders. His other hand moved from my waist where I was anchored and his thumb appeared on my clit.

I gasped as he began rolling the nub in circles, drawing me closer and closer to my release. Both of his hands worked in time and my body was practically convulsing on top of him.

“ _Shit_. Jax, I’m _so close_ ,” I warned as my body moved with the rhythm of his hands. My hips thrust in time with his fingers, and rolled with his thumb on my clit. I could feel my release pooling in the bottom of my stomach like the waters on a beach retreating before a tsunami washes down.

I moaned again when his scissoring motions began to speed up. His fingers thrust out of my ass and I felt something else press at my opening. I knew it was his tip and I gasped as he massaged the head against my starfish. I could feel it throbbing against his slit and he groaned beneath me.

“Just relax, baby,” he muttered. I moaned at the low guttural tone of his voice, my face contorting into a wince as he pressed forward. My barriers went up as he pushed the mushroom head past my first ring.

I gasped and clenched my hand harshly on his should.

“Stop, stop!” I managed to squeak. Jax froze inside me immediately and his hands flew to my ass cheeks, massaging them to try and get me to calm down. My body was on high alert at the intrusion and I cursed myself.

_This is what you wanted, you idiot._

I took a few deep breaths, willing myself to calm down. Jax felt the moment that my sphincter began to listen to my brain and I relaxed. He ground himself against me, his head neither leaving my ass nor pushing further in, yet somehow it was helping to loosen me up.

I nodded slightly as his hands continued to massage my ass and I raised up slightly.

I looked him in the eye and he gave me a hard look. I nodded again and gripped onto his shoulders. He knew I wanted to be in charge. It was probably for the better. I didn’t want him getting trigger happy with excitement and pushing in before I was ready.

I took a deep breath and lowered myself over him ever so slightly. My ass erupted in pain and I grit my teeth. I just needed to get past this small bite and then it would be like a pleasure bomb had erupted inside me. I bared the pain and lowered myself further.

I felt his head pass my second ring and then my third. Jax rubbed furiously at my clit to give me a sense of pleasure and I moaned as my pussy convulsed with the want to thrust at anything. I needed some other kind of friction.

Jax grunted when he was seated fully inside me and our chests rose and fell rapidly with each other. One of his hands came up and cupped my face. He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger, bringing my face closer to his as his lips pressed to mine.

I moaned into his kiss as his tongue invaded my mouth. His cock kicked inside my ass and I shivered. I wanted him to start thrusting. I ground myself against him, dragging my clit over his pelvic bone and he groaned. His hands were back on my ass and hips, guiding me through his movements.

Our lips separated and I let out a breathy whimper. My head fell backwards again as my high began to climb once more.

_“Holy…”_ I whispered.

Normally, I would hear Jax chuckle at me being so at his mercy, but I couldn’t hear anything from him except desperate grunting. Our fingers clutched at each other trying to get closer, anything.

I wanted him melted into me in that moment. I wanted him stitched against me to make me feel like this all the time. My body was high on him and I was never coming down.

Jax let out a strained breath as his cock began to twitch. He pressed against my clit, pinching it and I gasped.

“Fucking _hell_ , Jay,” I moaned and my breasts pressed against his chest. He pulled my face back to his and kissed me harshly.

“Let go,” he managed to get out, and thrust into me hard and fast. I moaned loudly and Jax let out a yell as I felt my tsunami begin to descend.

He pace quickened as my core clenched and then I screamed. Jax didn’t slow down and the pinch of pain in my ass and his fingers pinching at my clit forced my body into an act I hadn’t experienced since I was a teenager.

With a shocked squeak, I felt a rush of wetness gush from my pussy as I squirted. My breath was hard and Jax grunted against me. I felt his length kick one last time before he roared and my ass was filled with stream after stream of his ropey cum.

My body didn’t let up as a second wave forced more of my orgasm from my body in another rush of wetness. The aroma of my climax was filling the space between us and Jax was holding me close to him. His lips found mine as his cock stilled in my ass.

He kissed me fiercely as a tear tracked its way down my cheek.

“Fuck, I needed that,” he whispered between kisses. I laughed slightly, unshed tears filling behind my eyes. Jax eyed me carefully and frowned before kissing me again.

“Been a while, huh?” he said. I nodded. Something had changed between us. Something was different. And the fact that I’d just let him into a place inside me that he hadn’t been – that no one had been – since highschool, it had kind of changed everything.

I was in way too deep.

Jax kissed me deeply again and I cried into our kiss. I didn’t know if my tears were from the pain, or from what I was slowly admitting to myself about Jax.

Whatever they were for, Jax kissed them each slowly and held me as my body succumbed to everything I’d been feeling for the past few weeks.

And I let him hold me. It was what I needed.

.

“I cannot believe you, Shimura!”

I rolled my eyes. I was sitting in the Chief’s office being berated. Imogen was waiting patiently outside to be next.

“I should suspend you for disobeying my direct order! Your mission to the shelter was unauthorized and frankly, it means that any information you acquired in the process is inadmissible. You’ve tested my patience time and time again, detective but this is the tip of the iceberg.”

I sighed. “Sir, we didn’t find anything worth using,” I lied. Wells ignored me as he continued to pace his office.

“Bullshit, Shimura. You found out about cartel dealings.”

I frowned. “How did you know about that?”

Wells glared at me. “I have acquaintances who work with the shelter, and they overheard the conversation between Jacob Jackson and Arnold Whittaker. They called to inform me of possible drug dealings in the town, and it just so happens that I connected the dots between the time of conversation and your want to investigate the shelter.

“After all, it was where that young girl hung around most.”

I sighed. “Sir, none of this would have happened if I could have just questioned her like I wanted to in the beginning–”

He cut me off. “Do not turn this around on me, detective! This case is now out of both our hands. Cartel cases in Florida are strictly reserved for the federal bureau, and you know that! I’ve sent for an agent to come out here and survey the situation for himself.”

“What?! You’re giving my case away?” I screeched, standing from my chair in astonishment.

“You’ve given me no other choice!” Wells yelled. “You are my subordinate, and so you do not make the decisions about when to create missions and investigations; everything comes through me first as your commanding officer. My entire department is now under scrutiny to make sure that none of my other detectives are trying to get away with anything else.

“And what’s worse, you’ve dragged one of my best detectives into your foolery, and now she has to suffer the consequences!”

“Imogen made her own choices,” I defended my friend, “I didn’t force her into anything, and she’ll tell you that herself.”

“I don’t care, Shimura. The agent will hopefully be here first thing tomorrow morning and I expect that you and Detective Leeds will be waiting here to greet him and hand over every single piece of information that pertains to this case.”

“But, sir–”

“Enough!” he interrupted again, waving me out with his hand. “It’s out of my hands. You’ve brought this on yourself.”

He then turned away from me and I took it as my cue to exit. I scowled as I shoved open the door with my shoulder. I gave Imogen a fleeting sympathetic glance as I brushed past her.

“Leeds. Get in here!” I heard Wells yell. I rolled my eyes as Imogen sighed and shut his office door behind her.

I was beyond pissed off. Some jackass FBI agent was coming to take over my case and finish it? No, that’s bullshit.

_This is what you wanted. This gives you an out. You can go home._

I ignored the voice of reason inside my head and instead went to Imogen’s desk. All of my case files were spread across the desk. I paused and looked over my shoulder slyly. I could see through Wells’ blinds as he berated my friend.

Imogen was wearing the same look of anger and frustration that I’d had only moments ago. I turned back to my files and discreetly piled them into a neat heap before picking them up. I had already copied most of them onto a flash drive so that I could work from home, but I was going to scan the rest.

I wasn’t about to let some asshole vulture agent come in and steal my win from me. This could be huge for my career.

I made my way to the copy room, all whilst keeping an eye over my shoulder. I needed to finish this case. I always finished what I started, and no newbie agent was going to take this from me.

.

**So, that was a bit of a rollercoaster ride.**

**I told you all you’d enjoy this chapter ;)**


	27. 25

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

Waking up the next morning, I was struck with an almighty pain in the side of my head. I groaned, clutching at my temples as I remembered the events of the night before.

Imogen had come over and we’d discussed our anger over basically getting kicked off our case, and this morning we would have to go in to the precinct and greet whoever the fuck the new agent taking over was.

I had never met him and I already hated him.

_But, Everly_ , I hear you say, _It could be a girl agent._ And to that, I say, fuck no, the agents and officers that I have met thus far in my career who are happy to take over other people’s cases are always men.

Why is this, I hear you ask? Simply put, there aren’t any women who have been promoted to roles with such authority as of yet because this sexist system still favors men over women.

Anyway, Imogen and I had had much too much to drink, and it was now reflected in the pounding going on inside my brain. I rolled over and stopped short only to realize that the other side of the bed was still warm, and the bedsheets were ruffled.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I looked up to my bathroom door, which was closed. I could see the light filtering through underneath and could hear the faint humming beneath the sound of running water.

I reached for my phone and scrolled through my texts. I always texted people when I was drunk.

**Come over, I’m horny.**

That was a text I’d sent to Jax at one fifteen in the morning, and I had no doubts that that was who was currently in my bathroom beginning a terrible rendition of ‘Bennie and the Jets’.

I removed my blankets and frowned once more as I realized I was still fully clothed. So, Jax came over and nothing happened? That seems odd to me; Jax wasn’t the type to let an opportunity go to waste.

So, maybe he hadn’t come over after all, and the person in my bathroom was actually Imogen.

No, scratch that. That was definitely a male’s voice coming from the crack in the door. I sighed, running a hand over my face and scrubbing my hair back. I heard a faint meow from at my feet and looked down.

If cats could wear looks of disapproval and annoyance, that was Daphne’s current expression. I reached down to pat her head but she swerved out of the way before running from the room. The ringing of the bell on her collar resounded in my ears like the volume was turned up to a hundred.

I groaned but managed to get to my feet.

My text hadn’t been a lie, though. After my stint with Jax in his living room the other day, I’d been craving his touch. My body could still remember every stroke of him against me and my asshole probably wouldn’t forget the feeling of him being inside me for a few months yet.

Every time I thought about it all, I grew hot with anticipation. And no amount of masturbation could bring me back from all that. I grinned as an idea popped into my head. I looked around the room.

Jax’s leather cut was draped across my armchair and his boots were kicked off by the bed. I smiled and stripped down to my underwear before creeping to the bathroom.

I wanted nothing more than some good morning fucking. I swear, we were like rabbits with the amount of sex we had at this point. I didn’t care though, I’d made myself reserved enough in that department when I had dated Mikey. It was high time I was casual with my body and I gave it the release it deserved.

I opened the door to the bathroom and could see Jax’s naked form through the fog of the glass. I grinned and stripped out of my underwear before slipping into the shower. Jax still hadn’t noticed I was there.

His eyes were closed as he washed the remainder of his conditioner from his hair. My mouth watered at the sight of the water dripping over his tattoos, blurring them. I kneeled down slowly in the shower before I gripped Jax at his hilt.

He jolted and his eyes tore open.

“–What the fuck!”

Jax looked down at me and I saw his initial shock drain from his eyes, but then the confusion mixed with that sexy grin, spread over his face. His hand found a way to my hair as he watched me kneeled before him.

I grinned. “Good morning,” I said slowly, my voice low and breathy. Jax smirked.

“That’s one hell of an appetite you’ve got there, doll,” he said. I smirked, shrugging before my hand squeezed him. He winced with a sexual grunt as his other hand framed my face.

I grinned when he coaxed me forwards and my lips met his tip. He groaned when I took him into my mouth – just the head.

“Fuck… I don’t think there’s a sexier image than you wrapped around my dick like that,” Jax admitted. I looked up at him innocently through my lashes, with big wide eyes. Jax swore and I felt him swell in my mouth.

My tongue laved over his slit and I hollowed out my cheeks. Then I moved forward, ignoring my gag reflex as I took as much of him into my mouth as I could. My eyes watered but I kept going. I worked what was left with my hand, pumping back and forth.

Jax’s head fell back and he swore. I chuckled around him before sucking harshly. He grunted and I let him fall from my mouth so that I just kept the tip in.

I repeated my motions a few times. Suck on the tip, thrust into my mouth, pump, suck on his length, then retreat again. His grunts became low and guttural in that sexy morning voice. I pulled off him and licked my way down to his testicles.

I drew one into my mouth and sucked on it. Jax’s cock slapped me in the face as I did so but I didn’t mind. I gave the other the same treatment before I sucked on his taint, then on the place where the balls meet the member.

Jax was grinding against my face before I licked back up to his tip. A pearl of pre-cum was sitting there, waiting for me to taste him. I smiled before I swiped away the bead with the tip of my tongue, smirking at his salty taste.

“Fuck,” he muttered before his hand came to the back of my head. He coaxed me forwards as I wrapped my lips around him again. He controlled our pace this time, making sure not to push me too far as to where I would gag, but enough to get a rise of pleasure out of each of us.

One of my hands trailed down to my core, where I teased and played with myself. I plunged two fingers inside my sweet hole and thrust in time with my mouth on his cock. My eyes closed as we worked in sync, getting a rise out of each other. I moaned around his length, causing his member to twitch in my mouth.

“ _Fuck,_ don’t do that, baby. I’ll blow too soon,” Jax managed to get out. I grinned and did it again to annoy him. I could feel the vibrations go through him and in reaction he tightened his grip on my hair and pushed too far inside me. I gagged slightly before recovering.

I was going to have a bruise on the back of my throat because of that.

My core clenched around my fingers and I whimpered slightly as I felt myself begin to reach my edge. Jax grunted and kept thrusting harder and faster. I was slick from masturbating and before I knew it, I was riding my own hand.

My eyes were clenched shut as I hit myself _just_ right. I gasped around his length before I came with a cry all over my hand. Jax hollered and pulled from my mouth right as I felt his cock tighten between my lips. I watched in amazement as he came all over my shower wall.

My body convulsed with the shocks of my orgasm and I continued to ride my hand. Jax looked down at me.

I knew he wouldn’t let himself come in my mouth, but he came very close there. I still had no idea why he wouldn’t do it. It wasn’t like I was opposed to it. In fact, I kind of liked the way he tasted, I wouldn’t spit him out.

Jax’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He pulled me up from my knees and pressed his lips to mine with bruising force. I’m sure he could taste a trace of himself on my tongue, but if he did, he didn’t show it.

Amazingly, he was still hard and I could feel him poking against my stomach. I maneuvered one hand down and managed to press him where I really wanted him. We groaned together as he sunk inside me.

He thrust slowly against my pussy lips, making sure to be gentle after the battering they’d just received from my own hand. We were both feeling tender, I’m sure, but either way, my body was rejoicing at being so close to his.

He kept his lips joined with mine until I reached another climax. Then he pulled away and out of me at the same time, allowing my gush of arousal to drip down my legs and be washed away with the steady stream of the shower.

I grinned at him and he gave me a half satisfied, half shocked look, like he hadn’t expected sex so early in the morning. I smirked and pressed a peck to his lips.

“I’ll leave you to finish your business and take care of things,” I said, gesturing towards his steely member, which was pointing straight at me. Jax rolled his eyes and pulled me back for one more kiss. Then I left him to his own devices, exited the cubicle and dried off. I walked to my kitchen in the nude.

It wasn’t like there was anyone else in the apartment and I couldn’t be bothered to get dressed just yet. Besides, it wasn’t dangerous to cook nude, you just had to be careful.

I made my way to the kitchen and made Daphne her breakfast, just so she would stop yelling at me, before I moved to the stove. I whisked some eggs and put them in the pan, scrambling them.

I heard my bedroom door open and Jax emerged, combing his wet hair out of his face with his fingers. He gave me a grin when he saw my attire – or lack thereof – and adjusted the cut on his shoulders.

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His hands were splayed across my naked stomach as his front pressed to my back. I frowned when I felt his lips press at the curve of my neck.

This isn’t what we did.

This is not how we act around each other.

“That was some surprise,” he muttered into my skin. I felt him press his cock into my ass as he spoke and I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

I shrugged. “I told you I was horny,” I said simply. I could feel Jax grin against my skin and his hands came up to cup my breasts as I scrambled the eggs over the heat. He squeezed them each once before he pressed a kiss to the shell of my ear.

“I could get used to it,” he whispered. I smirked.

“I’ll bet.”

Jax chuckled and let me go, slapping my ass before he walked to my small dining table. I would surely have a handprint there but I didn’t mind. Jax made himself comfortable in my space and I served up eggs for the both of us.

He nodded in thanks when I set it down in front of him before he began to salt it heavily.

I sat down opposite him and crossed one leg over the other. We ate in mostly silence.

“You usually eat in the nude?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. I grinned.

“Why? Is it distracting?” I smirked. Jax grinned and shook his head once.

“Nah, just tempting.”

I smirked again and Jax chuckled. We continued eating in peace.

“So… what’s on your agenda today?” he asked. I looked up from my food with a frown.

“We don’t have to do this…” I trailed off. Jax rolled his eyes.

“Telling me about your day doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship,” he said. It was like he read my mind. I was kind of thrown off by his actions just now.

I sighed. “My boss found out about me taking you to the homeless shelter. He knows about the cartel and now he’s sent for an FBI agent to come and take over my case,” I huffed. “I’m supposed to be meeting him this morning to hand over my files.”

Jax whistled. “Shit.”

I nodded.

“Why can’t you just work it, again?” he asked, frowning. I glared at my food, suddenly too angry to eat.

“I’m just county police. I don’t have the authority to work cartel cases. The extent of my relationship with drug cases is small time dealers and crack dens.”

Jax nodded. “Well that’s bullshit. You’re more than capable to close this case.”

I laughed humorlessly. “You’re preaching to the choir…”

We fell into silence and Jax finished his meal. He rose from his seat and took our dishes to the sink, washing them up as I sat and my mind wandered. I was so pissed off about meeting the new agent that I didn’t even want to go to work today.

I didn’t even notice when Jax finished washing up. He walked back over to me and drew me out of my thoughts. He smirked down at me and helped me out of my seat. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his hands on my ass.

I rolled my eyes and drew my arms around his neck. He gave my ass a pat before leaning down to kiss me. I took control of the kiss and pressed my tongue into his mouth before biting down on his bottom lip. He groaned and pulled away.

“As much as I’d like an encore to this morning,” he said, “I’ve got a rusty car in the shop that needs a makeover.”

I rolled my eyes and nodded, trying to pull away. Jax didn’t let me go, instead he gripped tighter and dug his fingers into my skin as he kissed me again, making me moan.

I became lost in our kiss for I don’t know how long. We fought for dominance and I’m sure when we pulled away that we both had bruised lips. Jax slapped my ass again as he pulled away, making me chuckle.

“Don’t worry, you’ll kill it with that FBI fucker this morning,” he said. “Just remember to put some clothes on first or you might give him a heart attack,” he joked, sending me a wink as he reached for the handle of my front door.

I rolled my eyes, chuckling as I waved him out.

“I’ll think about it.”

Jax’s grin hardened. “Nuh-uh. I know you’re joking but no one else gets to see you like that,” he said. “Remember our deal?” His eyebrow rose and I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I remember our deal,” I reassured him, ignoring the slightly flutter in my chest at his minute jealousy of someone seeing me nude.

Jax nodded with a smirk, then gave me a mock salute. “Alright then. I’ll see you later, babe.” Then he walked out the door and I shut it behind him. I ran a hand over my face and through my hair.

“Come on, Shimura,” I told myself. “Don’t be a pussy, you got this.”

My pep talk seemed to work and I walked into my bedroom to get dressed for the day. It was time to go and show this damn agent who he thought he was dealing with.

.

**Some casual Jax-Ev romance to brighten your day :)**


	28. 26

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

**Everly**

My anger was swelling with every step I took into the precinct. I was already late, which was shit, seeing as Well’s had wanted Imogen and I here to greet the new agent. I could only hope that they were late too.

As I walked through to the bullpen, I could see Imogen and the Chief standing in the briefing room. There was a third, taller person in there with them. I cursed myself and made my way over.

When I opened the door, the group became silent and Wells turned to face me with a glare. Imogen smirked at me and I shrugged.

“Sorry, sir,” I said. “Plumbing emergency.” It wasn’t a total lie, my actions with Jax in the shower had definitely needed tending to…

Wells nodded with a glare and motioned to the third person in the room. I looked over and laid my eyes on the agent for the first time. My eyes widened slightly.

_Shit. He’s hot._

He was about six foot, lean and had a wave of inky black hair on the top of his head. The curve of his eyes and the slantness to his facial structures told me he was Japanese before he even spoke his name. My eyes gave him a once over and I caught him doing the same to me. He was assessing me. I always wondered what went through people’s heads when they looked me over.

_Were they as judgmental as I was?_

“Everly Shimura,” I said grudgingly, sticking out my hand. Just because he was hot didn’t mean I had to be nice to him. He was stealing my case after all.

“Special Agent Kieran Nagata. FBI,” he said. “Pleased to meet you.” He shook my hand once with finality. His tone was clipped and he spoke kind of like a robot. _Typical_ , Bureau agents always had a stick up their fucking asses.

“Yes, Detective Leeds was about to walk Agent Nagata through your case thus far, seeing as you failed to show up on time,” Wells dug at me. I resisted the roll of my eyes. Instead, I plastered a fake smile across my lips.

“Fantastic, then I’m just in time for the most important part then. I’ll help,” I said. Wells glared at me and I shrugged before walking to the other side of the room. I flipped over a whiteboard to reveal the most pertinent of the case details.

“Leeds and I constructed this crime board yesterday to ease you from some of the paperwork, which, if you’ll follow me, is on Leeds’ desk,” I said. Imogen and Nagata followed me from the briefing room. All the files that I had copied had been placed back on the desk in meticulous order.

I splayed the documents out for us all to look at. I spared at glance at Nagata’s face. He wasn’t giving away any kind of indication as to what he was thinking. He kind of reminded me of Raymond Holt from _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_.

“I suggest we take all these papers back to the briefing room where we can properly sift through them,” Imogen suggested. Nagata nodded.

“I was about to propose the same idea. It will be easier for you two to explain yourselves and this case, if I have the visual aids you’ve supplied on the crime board.”

I frowned as he walked off. His brisk tone was rubbing me the wrong way. Imogen rolled her eyes at me. “FBI, am I right?”

I scoffed. “Pretentious assholes, I agree.”

Imogen giggled and picked up half of the case files. I proceeded to pick up the other half and we both followed Nagata into the briefing room. The agent sat in one of the chairs and allowed Imogen and I to stand next to the crime board.

I felt like I was back in middle school making a presentation about world history or something. Nagata’s face was still giving me nothing. I frowned and gestured to the board.

“Right, so we can start with Angus ‘Scotty’ Phillips and Benjamin Hale,” I began, pointing at their mugshots in turn. “They were picked up for possession two months ago and I was called in just to find their dealer. They each had a key of pure cocaine on their person at the time of arrest, and were taken in for the intent to distribute.”

“Then they were released by mistake when a temp messed up the paperwork,” Imogen filled in. I nodded.

“I began by going to locations they were known to frequent. Phillips worked at the autobody shop in town but when I questioned the owner, he said that Phillips hadn’t shown up to work in a few days. So, we set up an APB on them. Hale was laying low and we couldn’t find anything on him” I said.

“We started checking with known drug offenders in Okeechobee and nearby towns to see if anyone recognized them. We combed through anyone and everyone who had been arrested on a drug charge in the last ten years and still came up with squat,” Imogen said.

“We organized stakeouts at every well-known drop spot in the area, and apart from bringing in a few new offences, nothing on Hale or Phillips surfaced. Then, an… _informant_ … of mine got me a location. Phillips had been seen hanging around this abandoned building in town so I sent a pair to do a twenty-four-hour surveillance on the place.

“They got nothing so I got clearance to search the building. According to records, the place hadn’t been inhabited in two years and didn’t have any current ownership lease. Inside, I found a makeshift bed from a sleeping bag, an old shirt and a few oatmeal bar wrappers. I bagged everything for evidence and the DNA came back as a match for Phillips.”

I motioned towards the photos I took of the place for evidence. Nagata’s face remained blank. He was giving us nothing. I was getting pissed off.

“After that, I was keeping a close eye on bank withdrawals even though there weren’t any, as well as their social media updates and then I checked their last known home addresses. Nothing new surfaced,” Imogen continued.

“Phillips was orphaned at birth and then in and out of foster homes until he was fourteen. His record showed he was picked up twice for driving without a permit and also some shoplifting offences. Hale only had one parent and she hadn’t seen him in months; we concluded that he had run away. Hale had no legitimate work.” My voice was hard as I spoke about all the details of the case.

“Another of my informants told me that they had both been running drugs for a while, mostly just Molly. She told me that this cocaine run was their first big job,” I said. Nagata nodded. He didn’t bother asking who my informant was.

“After that, the case went into a lull. And then, I got a special home visitor,” I said with a scowl. Nagata frowned, obviously confused. “This guy broke into my ex-boyfriend’s apartment while I was showering. He picked the lock. He handcuffed me to the shower rail and berated me. I didn’t recognize him, he was short, brown skin with dark hair, looked Hispanic.

“He had a gun on him and he basically told me that the break-in was my first warning. Then he threatened me if I were to continue pursuing Phillips,” I said. Imogen nodded.

“Then pretty soon after that, Hale came up dead, yeah?” Imogen confirmed with me. I nodded and pointed towards the gruesome pictures of Benjamin’s body in the car at Jax’s shop.

“We had a call at the autobody shop that someone had abandoned a car there so I went to investigate. It was unlocked and the owner of the shop was on the scene as I investigated.”

“Who’s the owner?” Nagata asked. I frowned.

“Why does it matter?”

Nagata shrugged. “You say that Phillips used to work for him, and now his accomplice shows up dead and the owner was the one to find him? Seems fishy.”

I bit my lip. “The shop is owned by Jacob Jackson.”

Nagata’s eyebrow twitched. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the same Jackson who is the Vice President of the local outlaw motorcycle club, yes?” I frowned.

“How do you know about that?”

Nagata’s eyes hardened. “I’ve caught many MC thugs for drug dealings in the past. I make it a personal mission to know every higher up of every MC in the state.”

I frowned again and looked over to Imogen. She had the same frown on her face but gave me a shrug. I turned back to Nagata.

“Well, yes, he is the VP, but he’s not a threat.”

“How can you be sure?”

I shrugged. “He has no priors and has been compliant with all the matters pertaining to this case thus far.”

Nagata seemed to consider my words and nodded once. “I want you to keep an eye on his movements, just in case.”

I frowned. He wanted me to observe Jax? I mean, it wouldn’t be hard, I knew where he was most of the time anyway, but this seemed odd.

“Anyway, Hale was found dead in the car. He had been beaten up and stabbed in the head with a jagged seatbelt clip before being stuffed in the trunk of the car. The actual stabbing seemed to have occurred in the back seat, though,” I said.

“There wasn’t any DNA of anyone else in the car besides Hale, so whoever did it wasn’t an amateur,” Imogen added. I nodded.

“Mr. Jackson gave us the security tapes for the night and we saw the car being driven into the lot, but it went out of frame when it was parked, and we couldn’t identify the driver,” I added. “Shortly after that, a young girl by the name of Amy Ventura was brought in for supplying drugs to a minor. She ran away from home and her abusive mother and landed herself in Juvenile Detention until she was released on her eighteenth birthday. She refused to talk to any other officers and goes by the name ‘Needles.’

“When I asked why she’d let herself be arrested she said she couldn’t tell me because ‘She has eyes everywhere’. We still don’t know who Amy was referring to. She then demanded a lawyer, immunity and witness protection. When I showed her a picture of Phillips, she said she’d seen him at the homeless shelter in town and that he was asking around for someone named ‘Bailey’.

“In order to grant her wishes of witness protection, I pushed for more details and she admitted that she was present when Hale was murdered in that car,” I said. Nagata’s left eyebrow quirked slightly.

“Chief Wells has since not granted us permission to interrogate her further,” added Imogen, “And her lawyer has instructed her not to say anything more, anyway. After that, we made our plan to go down to the homeless shelter and see if we could get any more information on this ‘Bailey’ person.”

“And this was the unsanctioned mission?” Nagata confirmed. I gritted my teeth and gave one solid nod of my head. He motioned for us to keep going.

“We wired up a guy who looked like he would fit in and then sent him in. He talked to a man named Arnold Whittaker. Whittaker said that he knew Phillips was on the run from the police. He also said that Phillips had been staying with Needles and that when she kicked him out, he went looking for ‘Bailey.’

“After some pressing from our guy, Whittaker told him that ‘Bailey’ is a runner for the cartel, and he concluded that when he didn’t see Phillips around anymore that he must’ve found Bailey,” I said. Nagata narrowed his eyes at me.

“Who was the man you sent in to get the information?” he asked. I sighed.

“Jacob Jackson,” I said. I watched the storm begin to brew behind the agent’s eyes. This was the first sign of an emotion I’d seen from him.

“Speak of the devil…” Imogen muttered. My eyes whipped up and I looked out the windows of the briefing room. Jax was sitting in Imogen’s uncomfortable desk chair, and my mouth just about hit the floor.

“Mind explaining to me why a civilian would be let into the details of this case? Let alone a probable ex-con who happens to be the vice president of a motorcycle club?” Nagata seethed. I grit my teeth and glared at the agent.

“Jax has been more help than I could have asked for. He was the one who found out Phillips was sleeping in that abandoned building and he had the decency to call me before he investigated Hale’s murder in that car so as not to tamper with evidence. Leeds and I chose him for the homeless shelter because it’s a place he frequents and no one would have looked twice at him being there,” I spat.

“He’s been more of an asset than any other officer in this precinct could have been and if I could do everything about this case over again, I wouldn’t change a single decision,” I said, my voice holding an air of finality.

“And what, pray tell, is he doing here now?” Nagata’s voice was low and annoyed. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe he just needs a plate run,” I said sarcastically. Nagata narrowed his eyes at me and I rolled mine. “Fine,” I said. “Why don’t we just go an ask him.”

I turned to look at Imogen and she gave me a small smirk before concealing it with a cough. Nagata motioned for the door and I held my head high, pushing past him and walking out into the bullpen. When Jax spotted me moving towards him, he rose from his chair.

His eyes flicked behind me and narrowed in on Nagata’s form and no doubt on the angry expression on his face. I gave Jax a quick look, hoping that he understood my silent plea not to say anything that would land me in the shitter.

Nagata didn’t need to know about mine and Jax’s personal relationship. I didn’t need Jax ruining this exchange by calling me babe or grabbing my waist out of jealousy or something.

“Mr. Jackson,” Nagata spoke, thrusting out his hand, “I’m Special Agent Nagata from the FBI. I’m taking over Detective Shimura’s case and have heard you’ve played an integral part thus far.”

Jax flipped his eyes to mine once before going back to Nagata. He took the extended hand and shook it.

“It’s just Jax,” he said. “But, yeah, I guess. Shimura told me you were coming by.”

I winced, cursing his words. Nagata narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t say anything.

“She did, did she?” Imogen taunted. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Well, anyhow, I’d like to speak with you about your involvement so far,” Nagata admitted. “I want all sides to the story as to why a… _biker_ has been included.” Nagata eyed Jax’s leather cut and I watched Jax’s jaw clench with annoyance.

This was clearly going to end badly for me.

“Of course. When did you want to discuss it?” Jax said, his voice clipped but civil.

Nagata gave a confident smile. “Now, if you’re not too busy. I think the interrogation room is free…”

Jax looked at me once and I frowned, so he ignored me and focused back on Nagata. “Let’s do it,” he said. The agent nodded and began walking off, the biker turned to me.

He sent me a cocky grinned and I glared at him.

“I swear to god, Jax, don’t fuck this up by saying something stupid. My case is on the line here,” I said quickly. Jax just grinned, a glint in his eyes.

“Calm down, babe. It’s all gonna be fine. Me and the _special agent_ here are just gonna have a nice little chat.”

He turned and began walking away.

“Jax, please…” I tried. He ignored me, following after Nagata. I watched him enter the interrogation room and Nagata sent me a hard look before he shut the door behind them. I winced at the click of finality that I could hear from across the bullpen.

_“Shit,”_ Imogen and I said in unison. There was no chance I was getting this case back now. I was completely fucked.

.

**Thoughts on Agent Kieran Nagata?**


	29. 27

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

**Everly**

_“You’re going.”_

I sighed down the phone. “No, I’m not.”

_“Come on,”_ Capris whined. _“You can’t turn down an invitation to a party run by an MC.”_

I rolled my eyes. “I can, and I will. I’m a cop, it’s going to be uncomfortable. And besides, it’s hardly a real party.”

Capris laughed. _“Puppy parties are still real parties, boo. Besides, there’s always loads of cute little pups to play with.”_

I frowned. “Did you forget I’m allergic?”

I could imagine Capris waving me off. _“Don’t give me that shit, just load up on allergy medicine before you go and you’ll be fine.”_

“But–”

_“No but’s,”_ she interrupted. _“I’m sick of hearing excuses. You’ve been moping about ever since that jackass FBi guy came and stole your thunder. It’s high time you went and had some fun, and seeing as I’ve stupidly agreed to wake up early tomorrow morning and supervise a cross country run, I’m unavailable to take you out.”_

I smirked. “I still can’t believe you agreed to do that. You hate extra-curriculars.”

Capris sighed. _“I know, the things we do to get laid.”_

I scoffed. “Who are _you_ talking about.”

_“There’s a new Gym substitute at school and he is damn fine,” Capris laughed. “I’m hoping my willingness to volunteer for this godforsaken fun run will get me in good with him and maybe we can have a romp in the sack in the gym closet or something.”_

I laughed.

_“Now, enough about me, go and get your cute little ass dressed and get over to that party.”_

“What the hell am I even going to wear?” I said.

Capris sighed. _“I don’t know, something comfortable, I guess. Look, you’re going to be surrounded by the MC who will no doubt be dressed in jeans and leather cuts, so anything you wear will shine in comparison. Besides, I doubt they’d even care too much.”_

“Capris, I really don’t want to go. It’s a really bad idea, besides, Jax is going to be there and I haven’t seen him since he was interrogated at the precinct a week ago.”

_“Exactly the fucking reason why I’m telling you to go,”_ Capris moaned. _“Maybe if you had been getting some this past week, you wouldn’t be sitting on the phone and complaining about a damn party. Besides, Cora is the one who invited you and you’d be rude to turn it down.”_

I rolled my eyes as I combed through the racks of clothes in my dresser.

“Fine,” I seceded. Capris laughed in triumph.

_“Yes! Fuck that took way too much convincing. Anyway, I’ve gotta go now and try and pick out a cute outfit that is both school appropriate and sexy enough that Mark the gym buff will want to take me against his desk.”_

I laughed. “You’re terrible.”

_“You know it,”_ Capris chuckled. _“Nah, I’m just wicked horny.”_

I grinned. “Alright, I’ll talk to you tomorrow night. Happy humping,” I said. Capris laughed down the line.

_“You too!”_

I hung up before our conversation got more weird. I settled on a pair of jeans and a distressed Guns ‘n’ Roses tee, paired with heeled lace up boots. I sighed as I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

_Was I really going to do this?_ I eyed my allergy medication and with a groan, took two pills and swallowed them dry. _Guess so._

Fifteen minutes later, I was parked in the driveway of the address Cora had given me. It was a nice two story house on the outskirts of town. There were bikes parked everywhere and I could hear scores of people in the backyard.

I sighed and shut off my engine. I grabbed the chew toy that I’d brought with me and got out of the car before grudgingly making my way to the front door. There was laughter and loud music coming from inside.

The door was unlocked so I let myself in. I was met with the sight of a bunch of leather jackets sitting around a coffee table and laughing with beers in their hands. One of the older men took one look at me and smiled.

It wasn’t a menacing one. Quite the opposite actually. It was a welcoming smile. Something I was definitely not used to coming from a man in an outlaw club.

“Siren! You’ve got another house guest!” He yelled over his shoulder. My eyes flipped up to the kitchen, where someone was walking through the doorway. Cora smiled when her eyes met mine.

“Ev! You made it,” she smiled happily. She eyed the toy in my hand. “Is that for Bullet?”

I looked down at the toy before raising an eyebrow at her. “I’m guessing that’s your dog’s name?”

Cora grinned as she walked closer to me, one arm wrapping me in a hug. “Yeah. He’s in the backyard playing with some of the other dogs. Everyone else is outside too.”

I handed her the chew toy.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” I asked. Cora gave me a grin.

“Of course. Why would you think it wasn’t?”

I regarded her words. In all the recent instances, her club had never shown animosity towards me. Maybe I was being unfair and judging them based on rumors.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Guess I was just nervous. Cora grinned and wrapped her arm around mine.

“Well, there’s no need to be. I invited you over because you’re my friend and I wanted to spend time with you. Besides, this party is basically just a barbecue and an excuse for the club to get blind drunk,” she laughed. She led me outside to where a large group was hanging out.

Luna and her husband were sitting on a nearby day-bed, with Cora’s boyfriend in an armchair beside them. Jax was there too, and he raised his eyebrow in slight shock when he saw me, but that faded quickly. Linc and the pink haired girl were there too, among others standing around.

They all had variations of drinks in their hands as well as smokes. From the corner of my eye, I could see a group of dogs chasing each other further down the back yard. From what I could tell, there was a Bulldog, a German Shepherd, a Labrador and two Rottweilers.

Cora let go of my arm and took a seat on her boyfriend’s lap. I stood awkwardly for a moment before falling into an empty chair between Linc and Cora. Jax was staring at his drink with a blank expression.

What the hell had Nagata said to him in that room? Jax hadn’t spoken to me in a week – not that I’d reached out to him either – and it was weird going from casual hookups most nights to radio silence on both ends.

“I didn’t know you were coming, Everly,” Luna remarked with a gentle smile. I gave her a small grin and nodded.

“Yeah I invited her yesterday,” Cora smiled. “We ran into each other at the supermarket and I asked if she wanted to come.”

“Oh, cool. You know everyone, right?” Luna asked. I gave a sheepish smile.

“I know names but I haven’t really properly introduced myself to each of you,” I said, looking pointedly at Cora’s boyfriend and the pink haired girl.

“Gage,” Cora’s boyfriend spoke, shuffling her on his lap so that he could lean over and shake my hand. I nodded with a smile.

“And I’m Linc, and this is my girlfriend, Stacey,” Linc said, gesturing towards the two of them. I nodded and gave a small wave.

“It’s nice to meet you guys.”

Lucas gave me a two fingered, half hearted wave. “Lucas, but most call me Talon.”

I nodded. He furrowed his eyebrows at me. “So, Everly, we know you work at the station but why haven’t we seen you around in a while? Jax wouldn’t really tell us.”

I eyed Jax from the corner of my vision to see him huff and get out of his seat. He stalked away from the group and I frowned before turning back to the president.

“Oh, I grew up here and then moved to Lorida for work. Came back here for a case,” I said. Lucas nodded.

“The red head kid, right? What was his name? Scooter?” Lucas pondered.

“Scotty,” Linc filled in.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one.”

Lucas nodded. The group then fell into their conversation and I was left to just eavesdrop. I watched Cora and Luna so relaxed with their partners. Gage had his arms wrapped casually around Cora’s waist and his eyes were on her almost constantly.

I analysed the way the corner of his mouth would lift when she laughed. His posture was relaxed. Luna had her arm wrapped around her husbands’ and her hand was splayed possessively across his skin.

Their knees touched and knocked against each other. They kept sending secretive smiles to one another as if they had an inside joke for everything.

Linc and Stacey were rather quiet as they sat side by side. Linc had an arm wrapped loosely around her waist and Stacey had a hand on his knee. Everyone was just so at ease with each other. I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jax but I couldn’t find him.

I rose from my seat, excusing myself under the ruse that I was going to get a drink. All but Cora paid me no mind, she gave me a small smile and a nod. Her eyes were knowing and I knew that she somehow understood that I was going off to find Jax.

It was getting dark and my curiosity was piqued.

I made my way through the house, checking the kitchen and the living room. Men were getting drunk all around me with girls on their laps, catering to their every needs. Jax was still nowhere.

I sighed and decided on a whim to check the front of the house. Maybe he’d come out there to get some air.

When I walked out to the hordes of bikes, I found him sitting on the front step, with a full bottle of beer in his hand; he hadn’t even uncapped it yet. I watched tentatively from the doorway. I frowned. _When had I ever done anything tentatively?_ Why was I so wary about just going and talking to him?

I had never experienced this level of awkward tension between us.

“I can hear you overthinking shit from here,” Jax stated drily without turning around. I froze.

Why was he out here? Why was he alone.

He turned slightly and eyed me with a smirk. I sighed and walked over, taking a seat beside him.

“Why’d you walk off?” I asked. Jax paused before chuckling slightly.

“Why do you care?”

His voice was weird, detached almost. I frowned. This was not the cocky asshole Jax who I knew, this guy was different and was throwing me off.

I sighed. “You didn’t text me,” I said. Jax shook his head.

“You didn’t text me either.” I watched as Jax stared straight ahead of him, refusing to meet my eyes.

I sighed again. He was giving me nothing. Before I could reply, he set his unopened drink down on the steps and stood up abruptly. He turned to me.

“I’m going for a ride. Want to come with?”

I narrowed my eyes at him before I looked pointedly at his hand.

“How much have you had to drink?”

Jax rolled his eyes and turned, beginning to walk away from me. I frowned before glaring at his back.

“Jax, I need an answer.”

Jax chuckled hollowly. “Do you? Because it looks like I’m gonna go either way.”

I sighed. “How much have you had to drink?” I repeated. Jax swung a leg over his bike. I made my way over to him and stood warily. Jax eyed me.

“One,” he answered, “About an hour ago. That a good enough answer, doll?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to discern whether he was telling the truth or not. He rolled his eyes and revved his engine. With his free hand, he reached out and pulled me closer to him by the belt loop in my jeans.

“Get on,” he said. My mouth dropped slightly.

“I don’t recall agreeing to your outing.”

Jax shrugged.

“It wasn’t a question, babe. Get on the bike.”

I frowned again, eyeing the death machine. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on the back of his bike. But, one look in his eyes told me that I had about two nanoseconds to decide so I slipped onto the back.

Jax handed me a helmet which I hurriedly placed on my head. Jax revved his engine again before kicking his stand back with the heel of his foot.

“You gonna hold on or do you want to fall off the back and break your neck?”

I grit my teeth and wrapped my arms around his waist. I could hear him rumbling with laughter.

“What’s funny?” I yelled over the roar of the bike. Jax turned his head to grin at my sideways.

“Forgot how much I liked the feel of your tits against my back,” he said, before he let go of the clutch and the bike lurched forward. I didn’t even have the chance to reprimand him for his words because a terrified screech left my lips and my arms instinctively clutched closer to him.

I could feel him shaking with laughter as he rolled out of the driveway and onto the open road. My eyes were clenched shut, so I had no idea where he was taking me and I couldn’t hear anything over the combined roar of the engine and the wind in my ears.

There was something peaceful about riding though. You were closer to the world than you were in a car, and I could feel myself relaxing the longer we rode for. My heart rate decreased a little and I relaxed into the seat.

My arms didn’t let up on their death grip but Jax could sense I was a tiny bit less uncomfortable. I could feel him laughing before he sped up and I was left fearing for my life once more.

What an asshole.

.

**I forgot how much I like to _ride._**


	30. 28

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

When Jax and I finally got off his bike, we were at the top of Dove Trails, a set of hiking trails in Okeechobee. There was a lookout point at the top which had a great view of the town.

I shivered slightly in the breeze. We stood in silence as we looked over the nightlights of our small town. Jax let out a low whistle of appreciation and my lips split into a small smile.

I hadn’t ventured up here in years. Jax was leaning against the side of his bike as I stood a few paces from him.

“I forgot how beautiful it looks at night,” I said, my voice low. I didn’t turn around, but I heard Jax give a huff of agreement. I heard his footsteps crunch on the gravel as he walked up to me.

His hands appeared at my hips and he spun me around slowly. I looked up into his eyes. He was frowning.

“What are we doing?” he sighed. His voice sounded defeated. I bit my lip and shrugged. I had a feeling he was talking about something other than our current actions tonight.

I shook my head slightly. “I don’t know.”

Jax frowned and shook his head. I felt his fingers slip into my belt loops as he drew me closer. We stood chest to chest and his eyes burned into mine. I wanted to look away but I felt trapped. His eyes searched mine, and I had no idea for what. I bit my lip again.

My sight flicked up to his tiny silver eyebrow stud, which glinted in the flickering lights of the town. Jax moved slowly, leaning down towards me. My fingers found his jacket and I gripped onto him.

His lips met mine and my eyes slid closed. He was trying to tell me something with his lips but I couldn’t figure it out. His mouth was insistent on mine and I moaned slightly. I didn’t want to have to think about _us_ , I just wanted to be in this moment with him.

I didn’t want to ask questions that would lead to conversations and arguments, I just wanted to be close to him and have him hold me for a little while.

I pulled him closer by his jacket and moved one hand behind his neck to hold him in this place with me. He groaned slightly against me as his mouth became harder. His tongue swiped against my bottom lip, asking for entrance.

I gladly gave it to him and kissed him passionately as his tongue entered my mouth. I moaned and sucked on the muscle, eliciting a grunt from him. His fingers squeezed my hips before moving south and grabbing a handful of my ass.

I gasped, pushing myself closer to him.

My fingers were in his hair, keeping him centered with me. One of his hands found its way to my jeans and popped the button. The skin of his fingers was white hot against my panty-line. They dipped into the skimpy band of my thong and tugged slightly.

They dipped below the fabric and ventured down to my mound. I moaned when he brushed past my clit and slipped a single digit into my pussy. I was practically weeping for him as he drew casual circles inside me.

I pulled my mouth from his and he latched onto my neck when my head fell backwards. He kissed it twice, tugging at the skin with his teeth before he kissed back up my jawline to press a peck on my lips.

His fingers withdrew from my panties, pinching my clit once on the way as he pulled away from me. He took a step back and rubbed a hand over his jaw before it moved to rub the back of his neck.

His chest was heaving as hard as mine was as he stood a foot from me. I stood in silence, catching my breath with my jeans zipped open. He winced.

“Shit. Babe, I’m sorry, I wasn’t supposed to do that,” he said, his voice gravelly. I frowned and took a step towards him.

My hands landed on his chest and I pushed him backwards until he was leaning against his bike, then I flipped us around so that I was pressed between him and the vehicle. I kissed him harshly, holding him by his cut.

“Shut up and finish what you started,” I said breathlessly as my fingers undid the button on his pants. He groaned and leaned his forehead on mine.

“Everly–” he tried. I cut him off by putting a finger against his lips.

“Shhh. I just want to make you feel good, babe,” I whispered. Jax’s eyes widened slightly at my words. I hadn’t called him that in a way. I didn’t really call people ‘babe’ unless I wanted something. Call me manipulative, but he started it.

Jax’s hands found my hips again. I grinned and lowered his zip, then he turned me around so my ass was pressed to his front. He lowered my jeans over my ass and they bunched around my thighs.

His hands grabbed at the skin of my ass, massaging it before I felt one hand on the center of my back. He pushed me forward until I was bent over his Harley. I smirked, but that act was quickly wiped away when I felt the cool breeze waft over my bare pussy. He spread my legs a little further apart with his foot.

I gasped and my eyes fluttered closed. Jax closed the distance between us and I felt the tip of his cock at my entrance. He slid home slowly and I bit my lip to stop from moaning. He withdrew slowly, silently, before thrusting forward again.

I heard him groan when he bottomed inside me and I let out a small whimper. His fingers dug into the skin of my hips and pulled me back against him. His pace was slow at first. I wanted him to use me, I wanted him to pull me close and push me away again only moments later.

I wanted the slap of my ass against his hips, and I wanted the feeling of being completely stretched and full that he gave me. If Mikey was the widest guy I’d been with, Jax was the longest. He reached a place inside me that no one had ever touched, and that piece of information drove me wild.

I moaned when he sped up, and the bike began wobbling as he thrust into me. “Fuck, Jax,” I whispered. Jax pulled me upwards and I squeaked when his front was pressed against my back.

His hands were around my waist, and for lack of anything else to hold onto, I clutched at his arms. His mouth was on my neck, sucking in unison with his upward thrusts and I gasped at the angle. A single tear slipped from my eye as he caressed my skin with his lips.

One of his hands snaked down to my pussy and rubbed furiously at my clit. I felt the pressure begin to climb inside me. I gasped as my body shuddered against his when I neared the tip of my climactic iceberg.

_“Let go, Evie,”_ he whispered. My lips opened in a ‘o’ shape at his words, my breath a silent cry as my release came crashing down. My pelvis thrust against his hand as he held me prisoner to his actions.

The fast grate and release of his cock against my sensitive walls was driving me mad. His lips on my neck, making another dark mark against my skin. He grunted and bit into my neck as his cock went stiff inside me. I felt the telltale buzz of his orgasm and he let go inside me.

I moaned against him and he waved me through every single thing I was feeling with the languid crushes of his knuckles against my sensitive nub. He pulled out of me with a pop and the top of my thighs became wet with our joined cream.

His lips left my neck and his hand abandoned my clit. For a moment, I was alone with my head tilted backwards and my jeans around my knees leaving the rest of me open. For a moment, I was completely vulnerable and lost in the aftershocks of the sensations he had given me.

Then I opened my eyes.

I bit my lip and pulled my pants back up, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of wet pussy against the scratch of denim. I turned around slowly to see Jax watching me with dark eyes. His face was ashen, which was so completely out of character that I was thrown off.

His pants were done back up and he looked about ready to leave. He moved towards me and cupped my neck with his hand, pulling my lips to his once more. He kissed me slowly, like it was a reminder of his fingers on me.

He was acting so different that it was worrying me slightly.

“I don’t want to do that again,” he whispered when he pulled away. His forehead was leant against mine and his eyes closed as he grimaced. My mouth dropped in shock.

_What?_

Jax sighed. “That didn’t come out how I meant it,” he said, pulling away and scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He paced away from me and sighed into the air. I could see his breath fog in front of him in the cold air.

I felt completely rejected. Jax sighed and ran his hand down his face. I couldn’t help the hurt look across my features and Jax winced.

He walked back to me and wrapped his arms around me. My hands were on his arms, wanting to push him away. He didn’t budge. He looked straight into my eyes, harshly and without blinking.

“I don’t like not looking at you,” he whispered. 

I frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

Jax sighed, biting his lip in a rare image of vulnerability.

He fought his words, stopping and starting sentences with random “I–” and “A–”. I pressed my lips to his to distract him. When he pulled back, he frowned at me.

“I don’t like that position with you,” he finally admitted. I frowned.

“What?”

Jax sighed. “I feel disconnected from you when you’re not facing me. I like seeing your face and knowing exactly how my body makes you feel. The back of your head gives me nothing and makes me feel like I’m fucking someone who means nothing to me, when you mean the exact opposite.”

My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. My hands stopped trying to push him away and instead gripped him closer to me.

“I–”

Jax shook his head and interrupted my words of astonishment by pressing his lips to mine again. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what he tasted like.

“I know it goes against every fiber of your character,” he said, “But, right now, I don’t want you to say anything.”

I frowned and Jax gave me a small smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him and went to speak again. Jax just pecked my lips to stop me, then pulled away, leaving me speechless. He pulled his arms out of his cut and handed it to me.

“You look cold,” he said, “Put it on and I’ll take you home.”

I frowned, taking the jacket. Jax moved me out of the way and slipped onto his bike.

“My car is still at Cora’s,” I said, my voice sounding weird to my own ears. Jax gave me a sideways glance and shrugged.

“We can get it in the morning,” he said casually. “Now get on.”

I stood in shock, trying to process what the hell had just happened. Jax revved his engine and I spurred to life, shrugging on the jacket and getting behind him on the bike hurriedly.

When my hands linked around his waist, he accelerated. I didn’t know if he was taking me to my home, or his; I was too confused and lost in my own head to really understand the gravity of whatever our conversation had been just now.

.

Jax ended up driving to his workshop, and I somehow fell asleep in his arms that night. We didn’t speak much that night, or the next morning for that matter. I was still shell-shocked about his admission at Dove Trails.

I was shaken, and it was a miracle that I’d made it to work that morning.

Jax, as promised, had dropped me at Cora’s to retrieve my car before I’d made my way to the precinct in my clothes from the night before. Imogen had given me a sly look at my attire, but I’d been too distracted to even really make any sort of comeback.

Jax’s words were stuck in my mind, refusing to let me think of anything else.

He had basically admitted that I meant something to him. Was I ready for that? Could I handle that? What did that mean? Were he and I more serious than I had planned to be? _Should I run?_

Hundreds of variations of these questions were swimming through my brain like a shark circling a school of fish.

Truth be told, it was giving me a headache. Did this all explain why he had avoided me for a week?

“Detective Shimura.”

A voice invaded my spiral of confusion and I looked up from my desk. Agent Nagata was standing over me. I frowned.

“Yes?”

His eyes gave away his humor.

“I’ve been calling your name for two minutes. Something on your mind?”

I frowned. “A lot actually. Sorry I’m sort of spaced. What’s up?”

Nagata nodded. He held up my case file in his hands.

“Since the run down you gave me last week, I’ve been combing through this case tooth and nail. Despite the negligence in the homeless shelter mission, you’ve done very good police work here,” he said.

I nodded. His voice sounded somewhat surprised. _What was it with men in this business?_ Were they all just misogynistic assholes who assumed women were incapable?

“And?”

Nagata paused, eyeing me and considering the acid tone I’d just given him.

“I want you to be my secondary,” he said. “You’re closer to this case than I am, and you know the area. I think that your particular experiences combined with my resources may be useful in solving this case and finding Phillips.”

My eyes widened. Well, while I was ecstatic about not losing my case, I wasn’t expecting to be included. I was actually getting ready to pack my bags and go back to Lorida with my tail between my legs.

I cleared my throat, trying not to indicate too much of my surprise and enthusiasm to the agent.

“I’d be delighted to help,” I said, using my professional voice. Nagata nodded and dropped the case on my desk.

“Great, then I should catch you up to speed. I’m in the process of acquiring a warrant to interrogate Miss Amy Ventura,” he admitted.

At that, my jaw dropped and Nagata smirked slightly.

“How’d you manage that?” I said, disbelievingly. Nagata grinned.

“I have higher clearance than your chief. My demands overthrow his because I have more authority.”

I grinned. “So basically, what Nagata wants, Nagata gets?” I surmised with a chuckle. Nagata smirked and nodded once.

“I guess you could say that.”

I smirked.

“Well, fantastic. When do we start?”

Nagata nodded. “Her security are bringing her here tomorrow morning, so I’m spending the rest of today combing her original interrogation tape to find possible triggers and write up a list of follow up questions. You may join me if you’re interested. I’ll be in the briefing room,” he said. Then I watched as he walked away from me.

I resisted the urge to happy dance in my seat. Imogen raised her eyebrow at me from her desk. My phone chimed with a message from her.

**You two getting cosy now?**

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her.

**He made me the secondary.**

Imogen’s eyes lit up.

**Congrats girl. Hmu if you need an extra hand, yeah?**

I sent her a thumbs up before I gathered my things and walked to the briefing room. I could push thoughts of Jax from my mind for a few hours because right now, I had a job to do and I wasn’t taking any chances.

I didn’t want to fuck this up again.

.

**So… Jax dropped a bomb… and Nagata isn’t quite the asshole you all interpreted. Brb exciting things to come…**


	31. 29

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**Everly**

“Miss Ventura, we really would appreciate it if you were cooperative.”

The girl stared blankly at the man on my left, then her eyes flicked to me. She had an unreadable expression on her face and I could tell that Nagata was growing frustrated.

We had been sitting in the interrogation room for over an hour and Amy had yet to say a single word. I sighed and put my hand on Nagata’s arm, silencing him. His eyes whipped to mine with a frown and I motioned to the door with a quick flick of my head.

Nagata’s nostrils flared angrily and he stood from his seat. Amy watched us go as we locked the door behind us.

“This had better be good, Shimura,” he said bluntly. I shrugged.

“I was going to suggest that maybe I should go in alone,” I said. Nagata narrowed his eyes at me.

“You’re the secondary,” he said. “If anyone is going in alone, it will be me.”

I frowned and shook my head once. “Look, I know it must be hard for you to give the reigns to someone else, but… I’ve done this with her before,” I said. Nagata crossed his arms over his chest, standing up taller, probably to intimidate me.

I rolled my eyes. “Look, the first time she was arrested, I was the only officer she was willing to speak to. Maybe if I go in there alone, I can actually get something useful out of her.”

“Or maybe her lawyer has just told her to keep a tight lid, and this has been a waste of time,” Nagata quipped. I plucked the case file from his hands.

“Only one way to find out,” I said, before I ducked back into the room and locked the door behind me. A resounding bang shook the room as Nagata no doubt punched the door out of anger.

Not moments later, I heard the intercom work as the agent had gone to the room on the other side of the one-way mirror.

“I swear, if you screw this up, Detective–”

I cut him off by sending him a mock salute and a smirk. Then the intercom went silent and I turned back to the young girl. She cocked her head at me and watched me without blinking.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asked, her voice low and sarcastic.

I grinned as I slid into my seat and opened the files. I nodded once with a hum. “I’d hardly call it paradise, but trouble? Hell yeah,” I chuckled. Amy leant back in her seat and crossed her arms.

“Never been in one of these rooms without cuffs on,” she remarked, her eyes focusing and jumping from the walls to the table where the pipe protruded from the surface.

I narrowed my eyes at her, my mouth twisting as I regarded how I should approach this. My eyes skimmed over Nagata’s carefully crafted questions and with a sigh, I covered them over.

Despite having been with him to create that list of questions, I was going to do this my own way.

Amy cocked an eyebrow at me.

“How have you enjoyed your stay at hotel WITSEC so far?” I asked. The hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

“So that’s your play?” she asked. “I’ll be honest, I was expecting more from you. I didn’t think you’d follow the whole ‘disarm the perp with easy questions to get them to open up’ tactic.”

I smiled. “You think you’re a perp?”

Amy regarded me slowly as she went back over her words before shrugging.

“What other name is there for someone like me?”

“Witness,” I suggested. “After all, the only thing you admitted to was seeing Benjamin Hale be stabbed in the back of a car.”

Amy winced. I knew I’d hit her where it hurt. For as perceptive as she was, asking her about her stay in witness protection was part of my play, but not in the way she’d described.

I had counted on her being cocky and sarcastic, and I had counted on her becoming overly egotistical. I had her right where I wanted her, and it gave me the perfect opening to stab where she was vulnerable.

“Nicely done,” she admitted. She had watched the gleam in my eyes after I’d made her confront Hale’s death. I nodded.

“This was the admission that granted your security, and so naturally, I’m now here to follow up and find out exactly how you came to bear witness to his murder,” I said.

Amy’s jaw ticked.

“Because that’s exactly what it is,” I said. “He was murdered. And it is my job to find out why, and who killed him.”

Amy watched me carefully, a sneer playing about her eyes. She hated my words. I didn’t care. I cocked an eyebrow at her and decided to push her further.

I opened up the case file and brought out the photos of Hale’s body inside the car. There were pictures of the blood spattered across windows, as well as a close up on the murder weapon – the broken seat belt clip. Then there were the close ups on Hale’s body itself.

There were pictures of his wounds and every stab entry point, as well as a close up on his face with his eyes wide open in fear, forever petrified in his untimely death.

When I looked up at Amy, she wasn’t staring at the photos… she was staring at me. She was wearing a harsh glare that looked poised to kill as her lip curled back over her teeth and her eyebrows were scrunched. It was a look that she’d taken quite some time to perfect.

I wasn’t afraid of her, but if I didn’t know what she was capable and I saw her on the street, I probably cross the road to avoid her.

“ _Get those away from me_ ,” she spat, her voice low and venomous. I gave her a sarcastically sympathetic look.

“What’s the matter, Amy? Are these bothering you?”

I knew I was being cruel but I didn’t care. I needed answers.

Amy was silent. She still hadn’t looked at the photos.

“You can’t make me talk,” she whispered. “I know my rights.”

I regarded her statement before nodding.

“Fair enough,” I gathered the photos back into the file. “But we can hold you here in contempt.”

Amy rose an eyebrow at me.

“You’d need federal authority for that, and last time I checked, beat cops from small towns aren’t awarded a high enough security clearance.”

I smiled. “Ahh, and you’d be correct. However, you remember that officer who was in here with us before, right? Yeah, well he’s with the FBI and he’s here to make sure that the murderer running loose in this town is caught,” I said. Amy flinched.

“Now,” I continued, “You’re the only one who knows anything about this murderer, and what they look like, because, as you say, you witnessed the murder of Benjamin Hale first hand. So, why don’t we quit playing games and actually get down to business. Just tell me what you saw.”

I crossed my hands on the desk and gave Amy my unwavering stare. She regarded me slowly before her eyes flicked to the mirror behind me.

“Get him to leave and I’ll talk,” she said. I turned and eyed the mirror where we both knew Nagata was stationed behind. I turned back to Amy with a shrug and the shake of my head.

“Not a chance.”

Amy scowled and I smirked.

“You don’t get to make demands anymore, princess. For the amount that we’ve accommodated you, you’ve given us precious shit all in return. So, he’s going to stick to his post behind the glass, and you are going to open your mouth and let what you know spill freely from your lips.”

Amy scowled at me and I smiled sweetly.

“Because when it comes down to it, princess, even if he did give us some privacy, I’m sure you know that these exchanges are recorded. So, he’s going to witness your confession anyway. May as well save us all the time, right?”

Amy glared at me and I shrugged.

She stayed silent and I sighed, leaning back in my chair.

“Oh, I’m disappointed in you, Miss Ventura,” I said, gathering my case file. “Because, you see, if you aren’t willing to provide useful information, then maybe I’m not feeling generous enough to provide security anymore.”

Amy’s eyes widened minutely. “You’re bluffing.”

I grinned. “Try me, Hun. I’ve got bigger problems to deal with than moody teenagers who act entitled as you do just because they think the world owes them something. News flash, the world is harsh and you have to fight every day just to make it through. If you’ve got nothing for me, then I’ve got nothing for you. Have fun on the street,” I said.

With that, I let myself out of the interrogation room and locked it before making a line for the room on the other side of the glass. Nagata was glaring at me when I came inside.

“What the hell was that?” He demanded. I waved him off.

“That was some damn good police work if you ask me,” I said, gesturing to the interrogation room. Amy was sitting with her jaw dropped in shock and fear in her eyes.

“In exactly three minutes, she will walk up to the door and speak with the officer stationed outside. She will ask to speak with me and then when I come back, she will spill the beans on Hale. Classic scare tactics, don’t tell me they didn’t teach you this kind of thing at the bureau.”

Nagata raised an angry brow at me.

“Why three minutes? That’s not a very long time.”

I shrugged. “It is when you’re alone in a padded soundproof room,” I grinned. “In the space of one minute, she will continue to think that I’m bluffing, which I am, but she doesn’t know that yet. In the second minute, doubt will spread and she will begin to second guess her theory that I am waiting just outside for her.

“By the end of the third minute, she will have had enough of her own thoughts and will believe that my threat of eradicating her security is real. Fear does wonders for clouding judgement,” I said.

Nagata regarded my words.

“How can you be sure that she’ll talk?”

I shrugged. “I can’t, but this is the last thing I’ve got. This tactic has worked on every single uncooperative person I’ve ever interrogated. I should think that it would work on her too.”

Nagata and I stood in silence and I smirked triumphantly to myself. We watched Amy as she stood up from her chair and began to pace the room. She was biting her nails and I grinned. I had her right where I wanted her.

She looked longingly towards the door, and ten seconds before her allotted three minutes was up, she made her way over. I chuckled and flipped my eyes up to meet Nagata’s. His eyes were wide with shock.

“And, voilà.”

Nagata let out a huff of disbelief as Amy knocked twice on her door. An officer stuck his head inside.

“I want to talk to Detective Shimura,” she said. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said I detected a minute wobble to her tone. The officer attending nodded and Amy gave a sharp nod before the officer left the room.

I watched as Amy situated herself in her seat once more and composed her features. I allowed myself a small chuckle at the mask she was trying so hard to wear.

“She wants to see you,” the officer said after he opened the door. I nodded and smiled.

“Thankyou, Patrick. I’ll be right in.”

He left and Nagata and I stood in silence once more.

“Well,” he said, “Aren’t you going to go talk to her? We still need her confession.”

I smiled. “Oh, I’m going, I just like to give it a moment. I need her to believe that I was elsewhere within the precinct. If I go in there too quickly, she’ll know that she played into my hands. I want her to think that she still has some semblance of an upper hand, when in reality, she’s shown all her cards.”

“Yeah, _all but one_ ,” Nagata huffed. It was obvious to me that he didn’t like being outsmarted. I grinned.

“Alright, I’m going. Wish me luck.”

I didn’t wait for Nagata’s reply as I left the room and went back to join Amy.

“Ahhh, I was just chatting with your security. Did you need me to make sure they didn’t forget to pack something, or…” I trailed off. Amy scowled at me, but it was only half-hearted as worry etched into the crinkles in her eyes.

“I want to renegotiate,” she said.

“Huh,” I said, crossing my arms. “I _guess_ I could consider it. That is, if you have something you’d like to tell me…?”

Amy winced and bit her lip.

“The night Benji died,” she started, “We were sharing a joint at my place. These two guys with masks on broke in and gagged him while I was using the bathroom. Then they took him before I’d come back out. So, he was gone by the time I was done. I managed to see the car they’d driven away in.

“Benji was involved with some pretty fucked up people and I was worried about him. I followed it to this parking garage. They were on the fourth floor and I hid behind a pillar when I got up there. The two guys shoved him in the backseat and did away with him.

“His screams kind of ricocheted through the garage. It was deafening actually. Then they pulled him out and stuffed him in the trunk. I had to hide underneath another parked car so they wouldn’t see me when they drove out.”

I listened to her voice, scrutinizing every nuance to try and pick up on a lie. She stared at her fingers throughout her story, and she fidgeted by picking at the skin around her nails.

“Had Hale been staying with you?” I asked. Amy looked up at me and shook her head no.

I nodded. “Had Angus Phillips been staying with you?” My eyes narrowed slightly to focus on her movements. She hesitated before shaking her head again. So, she’d lied, and at least that lie confirmed what Arnold Whittaker had said at the shelter, which meant I could assume he was telling the truth about everything else.

I nodded. “When was the last time you saw Angus Phillips?”

She sighed. “The day after Benji died. I told him I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.”

I smiled and nodded.

“Any other information you can give me about either Hale or Phillips?” I asked. The question was a long shot because people usually didn’t give away information on the fly. They just answered specific questions and it was up to you to figure out the rest.

Amy shook her head and I smiled. “One last question. What do you know about cartel dealings within Okeechobee?”

Amy gave me an odd look, her eyebrow rising in both confusion and curiosity. “I didn’t know there were any?” There was a twinge of something in her voice but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I resisted the urge to frown. _Maybe Whittaker had gotten it wrong_. I extended my hand towards the girl, and she shook it with a confused look on her face.

I grinned triumphantly. “Well, I thank you for your candor, Miss Ventura. A car is waiting outside to take you back to your WITSEC location.”

Amy’s jaw dropped as she realized the weight of my words. I had said the car ‘is’ waiting instead of that it ‘will be’, which she would now know was my way of telling her she had done everything I’d expected.

I smiled and left the room feeling somewhat elated.

.

**I can think of other ways she could feel elated.**


	32. 30

#  **CHAPTER THIRTY**

**Jax**

I adjusted my helmet as I slipped my leg over my bike. After my chat with Agent Nagata a week ago, I’d been performing my own role in Everly’s investigation, at the permission of her superior.

I could remember every piece of our conversation to a tee.

_“Mr. Jackson, I’d like you to explain your role in this recon mission to the homeless shelter, and any prior involvement in this case, in your own words,” he said. He was sitting in the chair opposite me._

_I nodded._

_“Well, I was there when the kids’ body was found in that car. I called the station when I noticed the car in my workshop and Everly came around to take a look. I didn’t touch anything. Then, she and her friend wanted me to go undercover to the shelter._

_“I have a few friends there and so it was easier for me to blend in than two cops. I spoke with a guy named Whittaker who said that Scotty had been staying with a Latin girl but that she kicked him out and he went searching for someone named Bailey._

_“Everly and her friend wouldn’t tell me much about Bailey, but Whittaker told me he ran drugs for the cartel and that Scotty hadn’t been seen around in a while, so he assumed that Scotty got in touch with Bailey somehow.”_

_The agent nodded._

_“And, it is to my knowledge that you had a prior relationship with Mr. Phillips. Is that correct?”_

_I sighed and nodded. “Kid worked in my shop. He was good with his hands but wasn’t the most_ reliable _employee,” I said._

_Nagata narrowed his eyes. “How so?”_

_I shrugged. “Showed up late, took longer breaks than my other guys. I just figured he was taking smoke breaks.”_

_Nagata nodded. “Now, I’d like to know what your role within your club entails.”_

_I grinned and ran a finger over my patch. “Vice President.”_

_Nagata raised an eyebrow at me. “Yes, I have eyes, Mr. Jackson.”_

_I chuckled. “It’s just Jax.”_

_Nagata nodded and made a note on some piece of paper. “So, what does the vice president do?”_

_I grinned. “Second in command. I mostly work as the middle man between the Pres and the chapter. If anyone has a complaint or a concern, they come to me first and I relay it to the big guy.”_

_“Is that all?”_

_I shrugged. “Every club is different. I work in information circles as well.”_

_“So, glorified secretary?” Nagata confirmed._

_I chuckled and shook my head. “No, it just means that I’m the first face that all the club’s contacts deal with.”_

_“Such as?”_

_I grinned. “Weapons and drugs mostly, all with valid licenses and prescriptions so that everything is legal, as well as cars and bikes, but those mostly go through my shop.”_

_Nagata nodded. “I hope you’re being truthful about the drugs. I’ll be checking up on that.”_

_I shrugged, grinning. We hid our illegal dealings well, there’d be no way he’d find anything._

_“Right,” Nagata said, leaning closer. “Let’s cut the shit.”_

_My eyebrow rose. Hearing this guy swear was kind of funny. He was so proper that it just sounded weird._

_“I am aware of the ways that motorcycle clubs evade the law and general rules of society,” Nagata said, waving his hand. “And, despite being a servant to the judicial system, I want this case closed as soon as possible, so, I am willing to loosen some strings here.”_

_I nodded, narrowing my eyes at him. “How so?”_

_“This stays completely confidential,” Nagata said, “And if you relay this to anyone outside of this room, I’ll come for your club and raze it to the ground. Are we clear?”_

_I grinned, “Crystal.”_

_Nagata nodded. “Right. I want you to use whatever connections you have, be it in the street or in the underground, legal or not, to find this kid and wherever he is hiding out. I want you to scare him, and I want you to make him believe he has both the MC and the police on his tail._

_“I don’t care how you do it, just make up some excuse about not crossing the club. I want him shaking in his boots, because that way, it will be more likely that he’ll make a mistake.”_

_I nodded. The agent continued._

_“When you find him, and I have no doubt that you will, I want you to inform me of everything, and I will set up an operation for his arrest on my end.”_

_“And what do I get in return?” I asked. “What makes you think I’d ever help you?”_

_Nagata eyed me carefully._

_“I know that there is something going on between you and Detective Shimura. We both know that without this case, she will be sent back to Lorida. If you agree to my preposition, I will make her the secondary on this case.”_

_I shrugged. “Lorida isn’t that far and the drive doesn’t bother me. You’re gonna have to come up with something else to make me say yes.”_

_Nagata sighed. “Fine. I’m sure we can come to an agreement civilly. Is there anything you’d like?”_

_I grinned, rubbing my hands together._

_“A favor,” I decided. “No questions asked.”_

_Nagata frowned. “What exactly does that mean?”_

_“Ah-ah. That’s a question,” I joked, wagging my finger in his face like he was a child. The man stared at me, humor devoid from his features. I grinned. “I’m kidding. I’ll do what you want if you make Ev your secondary,_ and _you grant me a favor that I can redeem at any point I deem necessary, and when you grant my favor, you don’t ask questions. Yeah?”_

_Nagata sighed. “I can’t accept that. It goes against my moral code as I suspect that this favor will be to turn a blind eye on some illegal dealing.”_

_I grinned. “That’s the chance you’re gonna have to take, otherwise, no dice, and you and your detectives go back to scratching your heads while you try to decide on your next move.”_

_Nagata exhaled and rubbed his jaw, considering my offer. I grinned, knowing I had him exactly where I wanted him. He sighed in defeat and extended his hand._

_“Fine. Deal,” he huffed. I grinned, shaking his hand._

_“Pleasure doing business with you.”_

Since that morning, I’d been delving into every source and informant I had in every nook and cranny of the town. I’d felt like shit keeping the secret from my club, and even worse for keeping it from Everly.

She was sure to see through me soon enough, as she was already starting to suspect something. She was a damn good detective and I was nowhere near a good enough actor to try and get this past her.

I pushed thoughts of her from my mind as I made my way up the driveway of a ranch house on the outskirts of town. Someone had given me a tip that there was an underground bunker in the backyard of this place, and that Scotty had made it his new home.

I grinned when I slipped off my bike. The place looked deserted. I cast my eyes over the quaint residence. The curtains were pulled closed over the windows and it looked shut up like the owners had gone on a holiday somewhere.

Ten bucks says the guys in there were squatting.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I noticed one of the curtains shift slightly. I could see the barrel of a gun pointing at me. I’m sure they didn’t think I had noticed it.

I grinned and raised my hands behind my head before dropping to my knees. There was some shuffling and then the front door unlocked. There was some shouting as three men with AK’s emerged, all of them had a lock on me as a target.

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m hardly the enemy, eh boys?” I said, chuckling.

A fourth man emerged from the house. He was thinner than his guard dogs and my eyes narrowed in on his dark hair and skin. He was Latino. So, I was definitely in the right place then.

He motioned with two fingers and one of his men dropped their gun and moved towards me. He pulled me to my feet before he frisked me and pulled my gun and two knives from my person.

The guy then pulled away from me and gave a thumbs up to his boss.

“Can’t blame me for having my own protection, right?” I said.

The thin man didn’t respond. He just stared at me drily. His accent was thick as his words fell from his lips.

“What do you want? We have no business with biker men.”

I grinned.

“See, now, that’s where you’re wrong. You have something that I want.”

The man cocked his eyebrow. “And what is that.”

I smiled cruelly. “You’ve got a refugee, and _I_ want to talk to him.”

The man’s eyes widened slightly as he realized who I was talking about. His lips formed a thin smile and he chuckled.

“You want to speak with the gringo?” he said. “Why didn’t you lead with that, _Chico_?”

I ignored the fact that he had just referred to me as a child and instead focused on the way he called off his men. I smiled and stepped forward when the man waved me over.

“What is your business with the boy?” he asked.

“He’s been late for work for two months,” I said sarcastically. “We’ve been backed up.”

The man laughed as we walked inside.

“I like a man who can joke around, eh?” He said. “The _rojo_ is in the back.”

He walked me through the house and to the backyard, before pointing at the underground bunker I’d heard so much about. The yard was filled with more of his armed men. I turned back to the man.

“I only need five minutes,” I said. The man nodded and waved me forward. I resisted the urge to frown. I found it odd that this was so easy. I kept my guard up, making sure that nothing would go wrong.

I wasn’t getting inside that bunker, though. I’d seen enough movies to be wary of them locking me inside.

One of his men pulled open the door and I peered down. Scotty squinted into the light, trying to figure out what was happening. He looked disgusting. His clothes were mostly dirt at this point and his hair was a mess. He had a horrid red scrub of beard around his jaw and neck.

When his eyes adjusted to the light and he realized it was me, his eyes went wide.

“Viper?” he said, his voice high with disbelief. I didn’t answer, instead I turned back to the man in charge.

“Are you allowing him up?” I asked. “Because I’m not going down there. Claustrophobic,” I lied. The man frowned, but nodded once.

He said something in Spanish and the man who opened the bunker descended inside and brought the squirming mess that was Scotty out from the darkness. He set him on his feet and the kid looked at me slightly in fear.

“What are you doing here?” he asked timidly. “How did you find me?”

I grinned and patted his shoulder. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I’ve got friends in all kinds of low places.”

Scotty visibly gulped.

“Now,” I said. “I’m just here to deliver a warning. You skipped out on work without a word two months ago and I’ve run out of patience. The club will be exacting repayment in some form, and I’m only here to tell you to look forward to it.

“We already know what happened to your buddy Hale, and you had better watch your back, because you’ll be next. That is, if these guys leave anything of you in the first place,” I grinned, gesturing to the men around me.

Scotty was starting to shake so I put my hand on his shoulder again. I leaned in close until my lips were near his ear.

“We know about your shit dealings and your double crossings. The club doesn’t take betrayal lightly, and we don’t tolerate rats and runaways. Especially not cowards. You don’t cross the MC, Angus,” I said.

Then I pulled away and turned around, nodding at the big guy with the gun closest to me. He smiled a toothless grin and stalked past me. I heard Scotty whimper over my shoulder before he was dropped back inside the whimper.

I walked back towards the house, towards the leader who had his arms crossed over his chest. I extended my hand towards him and he shook it.

“Thankyou for your accommodation,” I said. The man nodded.

“I expect we can rely on your club for discretion about our location?” he confirmed. I grinned and tipped my head.

“Mum’s the word.”

The man nodded. I knew that he wouldn’t just take my word for it, which was why I had set a small hidden camera on the mailboxes of the closest residences on either side of this ranch. That way, if these guys were to move, I’d pick it up on surveillance footage and know which direction they were taking.

I was really enjoying this spy shit. It was making me feel like James Bond – only a more badass version who got even _more_ tail. I grinned and made my way back to my bike.

I slid on my helmet and my sunglasses, and with a salute towards the house, I sped out of the driveway. I loved the way that my tires made a cloud of dust behind me. You gotta love dirt roads.

I know I hadn’t found out everything that Nagata had wanted me to, but I’d at least covered the basics. I could hardly confront the kid about the cartel when his guards were so obviously a part of that operation.

The best I could do was keep an eye on their movements. And then I had to come up with a way to keep shit from Everly. After our rendezvous up at Dove Trails the other night, every time I thought of her, my chest started to get tight.

I cursed myself at the words I’d said to her that night. She wasn’t ready for that shit. I blamed her, honestly. Having her wrapped around my dick made my brain go on autopilot. And that meant that I didn’t have a lid on my words. My dick had a mind of its own and it wanted Ev to know exactly what my brain wanted to say every time I was around her.

But she wasn’t ready for that shit.

She was still trying to convince herself that we were just fuck buddies. And I’d let her believe that, because it was exactly how I was going to weasel my way back into her life. Bottom line. I wanted her in my bed constantly.

I didn’t want other guys chasing her, but first I needed her to realize that she felt the same way about me. For someone so perceptive about the world around her – because that was her literal job – she had surprisingly little insight into her own emotions.

And that was exactly what I was trying to expose to her.

And she would come around… eventually.

.

**Detective Jax.**


	33. 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

**Everly**

I angrily shoved my legs into a pair of jeans with a huff. My father had called me only hours beforehand, inviting me to dinner with him and my mother.

After the last time I’d spoken to him, I wasn’t in a rush for it to be repeated so I had been prepared to swiftly decline. That was, until he heavily implied that he was going to apologize for his actions.

He had told me ‘wear something nice’ because we were meeting at a fancy restaurant. Most of those places had a dress code, but I could make myself comfortable and stylish at the same time. Capris once told me that Asian girls could pull off a garbage bag if they tried so I was hoping she was telling the truth.

I was wearing a pair of nude pointed heels, my hair wasn’t a _total_ mess, and my top was black, fitted and strappy. A small portion of my midriff was on display but I didn’t care. I was originally going to wear a black lace bodysuit but I figured that this fancy ass restaurant would kick me out if I did. I paired it with a nude clutch and was ready to head out the door.

I gave Daphne a sideways glance as I left my apartment. She was splayed lazily over my armchair and was flicking her tail every few moments. I smiled and locked up behind me. When I arrived at the restaurant, it looked close to empty. It was a fancy little Italian place with giant bay windows that showed everything.

I parked my car and walked up to the entrance. The maître d' was a tall thin man and his eyes cast over me with snooty gaze. His nose was almost upturned and his lips were pressed together thinly. I rolled my eyes.

“Table for Shimura,” I said as I unsuccessfully tried to peer over his shoulder and into the restaurant. I couldn’t see my parents anywhere and it wasn’t like them to be late.

“Of course,” the man said, “Please follow me.” He picked up a menu as he turned and began walking into the place. It was close to empty, and now that I was inside, I _definitely_ couldn’t see my parents in here.

There was, however, someone I did recognize. I scowled as I realized what was happening. My stomach turned as I realized the real reason my parents had brought me out of my house tonight. I scowled.

A small part of me still had a sliver of hope, a tiny bit of faith inside me that told me my parents really weren’t as overbearing and controlling as I’d known them to become. And so, as I neared the table I suspected was mine, I crossed my fingers and prayed a silent prayer that we would walk straight past, and I’d be seated at an empty table to wait for my parents.

No such luck.

“Here you are, Madame. Can I bring you anything to drink?” the tall man asked. I couldn’t bring myself to speak as I stared into the shocked eyes of Kieran Nagata.

I scowled and took my seat, turning back to the maître d'. “The most expensive red wine that you own, and bring the bottle.” The man nodded and walked off, leaving me alone with my coworker.

We sat in silence for a moment, both taking in the fact that we were sitting together in an empty fancy restaurant. I scowled at him. We didn’t speak a word to each other until the tall man came back with my wine. I greedily took the bottle and poured myself a large glass.

The waiter left us and I took a large gulp of my drink before looking at Nagata curiously.

“Tell me. Do you always do what your parents ask of you?” I asked. Nagata gave me an odd look. He paused, before sighing.

“No. I take their advice on certain topics, but they do not tell me what to do.”

I rolled my eyes, scoffing lowly as I took another sip of my drink.

“They don’t, do they? Well, you must have _the most_ chill Japanese parents in the entire world,” I said, my tone clipped and annoyed. “How, pray tell, how did you end up in this restaurant tonight?”

Nagata frowned. “My mother called me to tell me that some of her friends live in this town; apparently they go to the same migrants community group out of town. She said that they heard I was in town, and had invited me to dinner. I was not informed that they had a daughter.”

“Ahh,” I mused. “So, you were unaware that our parents have conspired to set us up on this blind date?”

Nagata’s eyebrow ticked slightly. “I was not aware, no. Why? Were you?”

I scoffed at his accusation, chuckling.

“Most definitely not,” I said before finishing my wine. I poured another glass. “My parents and I are somewhat… _estranged_. We had a falling out of sorts, and my father called me this morning saying that he wanted to apologize over dinner. I – stupidly – believed him and now here we are.” I sent him a pointed stare. “Trust me, if I had known it was a date, I would’ve stayed home in a onesie and watched football while destroying a box of TastyKakes.”

Nagata chuckled slightly.

“But here we are,” he said. I rolled my eyes, shrugging. I was in half a mind to put my feet up on the table and lean back in my seat. Might as well be comfortable in this stupid ‘fancy’ get up I’d been forced to wear.

No doubt, my father had left his credit card to pay for dinner, so I was going to order the most expensive food in this entire business – hence, the ridiculous bottle of wine. I held up the bottle and waved it at Nagata.

“Want any?” I asked. “Because if not, I’m taking this home with me.”

Nagata smirked but nodded once, holding up his glass. I grinned. “Ahh, so maybe you’re not the killjoy that I assumed you were when we met, after all.”

The man rolled his eyes at me and I grinned, before I raised a hand and signaled for a waiter. A tall thin woman – was height and slight a requirement to be hired here – came from behind the bar. “What can I get for you?”

I grinned. “Another bottle of this red, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Nagata’s eyes narrowed on me as the waitress nodded and walked away. “Those are two-hundred-dollar bottles,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “And it tastes shit to be honest, but it’s at least good to know you can count, Nagata,” I said sarcastically. “But, seeing as dear old dad is financing this particular night out, I say we go ham and rack up the biggest bill this place has ever seen.”

Nagata was watching me carefully, it was a little unsettling actually.

“You don’t like your parents,” he stated. I scoffed.

“Oh dear,” I quipped. “What gave me away?” I rolled my eyes before I looked down at the menu. What did I feel like eating tonight?

“Why not?” he asked. I sighed and dropped the menu, allowing him my gaze.

“Oh, I don’t know. I guess this secret blind date is just the cherry on top really – or the last nail in the coffin – whichever way you want to look at it,” I hummed. Nagata watched me, waiting for more of an explanation. I sighed.

“Do you have siblings?” I asked. Nagata paused before nodding.

“Nine.”

I pursed my lips and scowled. “Well, I have none, which leaves me on the receiving end of my parent’s full overbearing force. At least with your nine siblings, your parents must have been spread thin.”

Nagata chuckled, nodding once. The waitress came back with his bottle of wine and he poured himself a glass.

“Can I get you anything to eat?” she asked. I glanced at the menu.

“Your mushroom ravioli with a side of lobster,” I said. The waitress frowned.

“I’m sorry, we don’t serve sides of lobster…” she trailed off. I raised an eyebrow at her, shrugging.

“Alright then, I’ll have a mushroom ravioli and your lobster thermidor.”

The waitress glanced at my small form once before nodding and writing my order on a pad. She turned to Nagata.

“Gnocchi with Carciofi alla Romana, please.”

The woman nodded before leaving the table. I turned my nose up at Nagata’s order.

“Who likes artichokes?” I questioned. “And with potato, that seems ridiculous.” The man smirked.

“We all have preferences,” he said. I grimaced but shook it off, taking an interest in my wine again. I wouldn’t be able to drive home.

“So… your parents are a bit obsessive then?” he asked. I scoffed.

“Understatement of the millenia right there. They like to micro-manage me.”

Nagata took a sip of his drink, waiting for me to continue. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

“Really? We’re doing this? You want my whole life story?”

Nagata smirked, waving a hand around the restaurant. “Well, while we have time I might as well be entertained.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. They migrated before I was born. Doctors told my mother she was barren, and so I came as a surprise when they were both middle aged. In the midst of mid-life crises, they put all their effort into picking and prodding at every aspect of my life. From birth to my high school graduation, I was my mother’s personal Barbie Doll – thankfully, that ceased when I moved out of home for college.

“And on top of that, for my entire life, my father has thought he could tell me what to do with my life, career and relationships. It his ultimate goal to have me quit my job and be married off to the son of one of his friends – that is where _you_ come in, by the way. Our fallout ensued when I refused, because in this century I am allowed to make my own choices and can keep my job if I’d like.

“I came to dinner tonight, ready to forgive them both, but then he pulls this shit, thinking that it will somehow fix everything. What he doesn’t realize is that tonight was his last chance, and I’m just not going to fucking fall for it anymore. I’m done with their lies and manipulations and if they can’t support the life I’ve made and the decisions about jobs and relationships I have, then that’s their problem.”

Nagata nodded once.

“Seems like you have a lot on your plate.”

I rolled my eyes, scoffing as I down the rest of my second glass. The waitress came with our meals and we began to dig in. Nagata was quiet as we ate, I’m sure he was mulling over the confession I’d just given him.

I hadn’t meant to spill all my problems, but after a few drinks, I tended to get chatty. We ate our meals – well, I picked at mine actually. I wasn’t a huge fan of lobster, and had really only ordered it to rack up the bill, so I mostly left it to the side. Maybe I could ask for a doggy bag and take it home for Imogen.

I didn’t want to be wasteful and she _loved_ lobster. Nagata finished his plate of – _shudder_ – artichokes and went back to staring inquisitively at me. I sighed, eyeing him.

“So, we’ve heard my grievances, what about yours?”

Nagata smirked. “Not as much to tell as yours. Middle child of ten, born in Japan and migrated when I was an infant. Settled in Miami and then enrolled in the FBI as soon as I was eligible. Been with them ever since.”

I scowled. “That’s nowhere near as juicy as my confession. Your story is somewhat boring actually. Surely you have to have something better… How old are you, anyway?”

Nagata chuckled. “Thirty-two.”

My eyebrow raised slightly. Before I could ask more questions, the waitress came back.

“Can I get you anything else?”

I sighed and looked down at the menu. “I’ll have zuppa inglese, and a takeaway container for my lobster, please,” I said.

“And I’ll have the tartufo,” Nagata chimed. The waitress nodded and walked away. Before I could continue asking Nagata questions, something in the corner of my vision piqued my interest. My stomach dropped as I stared into Jax’s eyes. His eyes flicked between Nagata and I, assessing the situation.

Nagata noticed my change in attention and looked out the window.

“Shit,” he mumbled. I frowned and looked back to the window, Jax was nowhere to be seen. I turned in my seat to see him pushing past the tall thin maître d'. I got to my feet, as did Nagata. For some odd reason, my palms were sweaty as if I’d been caught in an act.

The way Jax was glaring at me right now was like I’d betrayed him or cut off his arm or something.

“What the fuck is going on here?” he seethed. His hands were balled in fists at his sides and I bit my lip. I felt so much guilt in the pit of my stomach – which was ridiculous. Jax and I weren’t together, so why should I feel like I owed him something.

I was glad there wasn’t any other patrons in the restaurant, because by the look on his face, he was ready to throw Nagata through the plate glass windows.

“Jax, I swear, this isn’t what it looks like,” I tried. Jax glared at me, his eyes hard.

“Bullshit it isn’t,” he said. “You’ve cleaned up nice for this date, huh?”

I scowled, ready to retort. Before I could, Nagata put on a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. Big mistake, that’s just fucked everything majorly.

Jax’s eyes zeroed in on Nagata’s hand and his nostrils flared.

“Mr. Jackson. Please allow us to explain,” Nagata said, his voice low. Jax sneered.

“Oh please, I’ve got fucking eyes in my head. I can see it all for myself.” He turned to me with a pointed glare. “Guess you’re taking pages out of your ex’s books now,” he said.

I shrugged Nagata’s hand off my shoulder and took a step forward.

“Jax I promise, you’re blowing this way out of proportion. If you’d just let me explain–”

Jax raised his hand to cut me off. “Save it. I don’t need to hear you try and cover your tracks. I hope it was all fucking worth it.” Before I could reply, he turned on his heel and stormed from the restaurant.

I was frozen in my place as I listened to the engine of his bike roar away. My eyes were wide and my mouth was open as I tried to understand what the fuck had just happened. I looked out the window, watching him fly past on his bike.

“I have to go,” I muttered. “I have to fucking fix this.”

Without a glance at Nagata, I ran from the restaurant. My heels slapped on the concrete pavement outside and I ran a hand through my hair. I needed to get to Jax and explain what he’d just walked in on before he did something stupid.

I looked at my car longingly, knowing that it would be stupid of me to drive. I could call someone to take me after Jax, but I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. Besides, he’d probably gone home and his workshop wasn’t far from here. I could walk the distance.

I turned in the direction of his shop and took off my stupid heels. Then I started running.

.

**I don’t think I’ve ever been on a blind date that ended well.**

**Can we all just agree blind dates suck?**


	34. 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

When I arrived at the workshop, my lungs were burning and my feet were numb. The place looked deserted. I couldn’t see Jax’s bike anywhere which was my first clue that he wasn’t around, but I thought I should double check anyway.

His place was unlocked like usual, and I stumbled up his staircase – trying to take them two at a time – before bursting into his living room.

The place was pitch dark and silent. I cursed under my breath but went through to his bedroom. The bed was a mess and there were a few pieces of clothing strewn here and there. It was empty though. Jax wasn’t here.

“Fuck,” I said out loud, running a hand through my hair.

I pulled my phone from my back pocket and scrolled through my contacts. _Who could I call to take me to find him?_ _Where would he even be?_

I sighed and shut off my phone. Capris would take too long to get here, Imogen was on night duty, and Cora was probably tending the bar. _Would he go to the bar?_ No. He was pissed with me and wouldn’t go somewhere so crowded if he wanted to think shit over.

A small part of my brain felt differently though, and was telling me that he might’ve gone to the bar to find new pussy. My fists clenched at the thought.

The only other place I could think he might go was his clubhouse. It wasn’t a far walk from here, but I was already so tired. I was cursing myself for drinking so much at dinner. It would have just been so much easier to drive around. With a huff, I stalked from his bedroom and down his stairs.

I barely took the time to slam his front door shut before I was off down the road to his clubhouse. I didn’t even know if I could get inside – they had prospects stationed at the door twenty-four-seven. This was going to be a shit show.

Half an hour later, I had made it to his damn club estate and had only thrown up on the way there once. Some old lady was going to wake up to her rose bushes drenched in my stomach juices. Oh well.

When I made it to the gate – just as I suspected – two kids were stationed there. I probably looked like a crack addict. My hair was disheveled, I wasn’t wearing shoes, my jeans had torn on my lower leg and it didn’t look fashionable.

I was just a mess.

“Is your VP here,” I asked. I didn’t want to beat around the bush, and if he wasn’t here then I would make my way to their bar to see if I could find him.

One of the prospects gave me a thorough once over. He smirked, ready to turn me away.

“Can’t give out that information, babe.”

I cringed, rolling my eyes slightly. “Don’t call me that, I’m at least a decade older than you.”

The kid just shrugged, unashamedly checking me out. Who knows why, maybe he liked the look of crack addicts. I sighed, walking up to lean on the gate. I held up a finger at the kid.

“Just let me catch my breath.”

The other prospect hadn’t said anything til now, and he was giving me a curious look.

“You’re that cop, aren’t you?” he asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Vague question, but yes, I guess I am.”

The kid smirked, chuckling, then he looked over at his friend.

“I think we can let her in. She’s friends with Viper and Siren.”

The first prospect still looked skeptical. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

“Call Luna, or Cora if she’s here. They’ll let me in,” I said, standing up straight. The boys gave each other a careful look before the second one shrugged and pulled out a two-way radio. I heard some static as they connected to one inside.

“Got a chic out here, who wants to see Viper. Says she’s friends with Siren,” he spoke. I didn’t hear the reply, but the guy looked over at me.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Everly.”

He nodded, relaying the information. I heard some kind of staticky confirmation before the two prospects shrugged and opened the gate. I sighed in relief and gave them a small wave.

“Appreciate it, guys,” I said. They both nodded and watched the gate close behind me, then I made my way up the estate. All the lights were on in the main house, and I could hear faint music that was sure to get louder the closer I got.

I looked around at the bikes sitting at the front. They all looked the same to me so I couldn’t be sure that one of them was Jax’s.

When I got to the front door, I busted open the door and stumbled inside. The place was packed, looked like there was a house party of some sort happening. I ran a hand through my hair and walked my way inside.

I spotted Linc and Stacey making out in a corner, and Luna laughing with an older member with drinks in their hands. I ignored them, my eyes scanning the rest of the room. They widened when I finally spotted him.

Jax was standing by a large window with a beer in his hand and a scowl on his face. His eyes were faraway and he definitely wasn’t paying attention to the half naked school girl that was desperately trying to get his attention.

I glared a hole in the back of the girl’s head, trying to telepathically get the fuck away from my man.

_Woah_. Where did that come from? Since when was I taking ownership of Jax?

_Isn’t that the whole reason you’re here?_ I asked myself. How else could I explain running after him tonight after he walked in on Nagata and I, if I didn’t feel something for him. I felt so incredibly guilty for having dinner with Kieran, and I knew it was because I would have rather spent the night with Jax.

My head was spinning.

I had been keeping Jax at arms length for this exact reason. I was getting in way too deep with him right now. I could walk away from him and walk away from the heartache that was no doubt going to follow. But for some reason, my limbs didn’t listen to my brain, and I found myself walking up to him.

I pushed the girl out of the way without a word and stood myself in front of Jax. His eyes flicked to mine and he glared. He didn’t say anything as we stared at each other. Then, he shoved past me and began walking away.

My jaw dropped and I growled, stalking after him. I watched him dart up the stairs and I followed, knowing he was going to his room. I scowled, livid as I followed him. I shoved my foot in the crack of his door before he cold shut it on me.

“Leave me the fuck alone, Shimura,” he growled. I scoffed. He only called me by my last name when he was too angry to talk. Gone were the nicknames, he was pushing me away now. I guess after all the times I’d done it to him, I kind of deserved it.

“Let me fucking explain, you jackass!” I seethed, getting the better of him and shouldering the door open. It slammed shut behind me and we both stood apart, chests heaving as we caught our breath.

“Fine! You want to fucking explain then you have the fucking floor,” he growled, waving his hands around. I sighed, watching him carefully.

“I didn’t agree to go on a date with him,” I said carefully. Jax glared at me.

“So, it _was_ a date then?” he said haughtily. I clenched my fists.

“Let me fucking finish, you jealous fucking ass–”

“Why should I?” he cut me off with a yell. “I defended you when that fucking asshole of an ex-boyfriend cheated on you and now you’ve turned around and done the same fucking thing!”

I glared. “I get it! You’re fucking angry,” I said. “But if you cut me off before I can finish explaining, _one more time_ , I swear to fucking god–”

“Fine!” he griped. I watched him. He paced and his hands were clenched hard enough that the knuckles were white.

“Like I said, I didn’t know it was a date,” I said, taking a step forward. He looked ready to blow and I could see a vein in his temple. “My father called me this morning inviting me to dinner. I thought he was going to apologize for his actions and so agreed. When I showed up at the restaurant and saw Nagata sitting there, I realized that my father had fucking played me and set me up on a fucking blind date.”

Jax was glaring at me, but his breathing seemed to have slowed a bit. I took another step closer to him.

“Nagata, it seems, didn’t know it was a date either. So, what you walked in on was two people eating dinner together and literally nothing else,” I said.

Jax glared at me. “Why did you stay?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “I had spent the better part of an hour getting ready for that dinner, and I wasn’t about to let that time primping go to waste. Besides, my father was paying for dinner, and so I thought that if he was going to make me sit there, then I was going to charge him a fuckton for it.”

Jax watched me carefully. My voice didn’t waver through any of it.

“And then your jealous ass barged in and jumped to conclusions without letting me explain, and then I had to run all the way across fucking town because I couldn’t drive because I had half a bottle of red with dinner, _just_ so I could fucking convince you that absolutely nothing is going on between me and Nagata,” I said angrily. I took another step forward until we were chest to chest.

Jax glared at me.

“I wasn’t jealous,” he muttered, stubbornly. I rolled my eyes.

“Bullshit,” I said. “Now all I’m trying to figure out is why you had such a big fucking reaction.”

Jax huffed and his hands came to my waist. He picked me up and threw me on his bed. A startled gasp left my lips but I didn’t have time to think about anything because he was climbing on top of me.

“I was fucking angry because I hate seeing you with other men,” he said.

I smirked. “So you _were_ jealous,” I said. “I don’t understand why you men can’t just fucking admit when you’re jealous.”

Jax moved my legs so that I wrapped them around his waist. He pressed his apex to mine through our pants and I gasped.

“Fine, yes, I was fucking jealous,” he muttered. “And do you know why?”

I gave him a pointed look and he pressed himself closer to me.

“ _This_ is fucking why. Only I can do this to your body and make you feel this way, and I’ll rip open any other guy that tries to do so,” he said. His lips fell to my own as he kissed me hard.

I groaned into him before rolling us over so that I was straddling him. I pulled away and sat up, glaring at him.

“Are you fucking kidding me!” I screeched. “I can’t fucking understand you. Why the fuck would you think I was interested in Nagata?”

Jax raised an eyebrow at me as his fingers played with the strap on my top. “You’ve dated cops before,” he tried. I rolled my eyes.

“That guy came here solely to take my case and steal all my fucking glory. I’d never find someone like that attractive, let alone date them,” I seethed. My hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it up his chest.

He lifted his arms to get the fabric over his head and suddenly his shirtless form lay still beneath me. I eyed him carefully.

“Tell me the real reason,” I said as I pulled my top off. Jax’s hands were on my bra strap and froze at my words.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

I stared back, unblinking and unwavering. Jax frowned and sat up. His hands were on my waist and his fingers danced over my bare skin. He moved one hand up to grip my chin before pulling me into another kiss.

He coaxed a moan from my lips when he sucked languidly on my tongue. My eyes fluttered closed and my hands roamed his chest and back before settling at his neck. He unsnapped my bra strap and I let it fall from my shoulders.

I pulled away from him and pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth, then ran them along his jawline. I moved to his neck and sucked on his jugular vein. He growled lowly and I could feel the vibrations beneath my lips. Then I bit into his neck and sucked on the skin, eliciting a hiss from him.

His hands moved to my ass. They delved under the waistband of my jeans and groped at my flesh. I congratulated myself for wearing a thong. He pushed our cores closer to each other and I began to grind on him slowly as I finished perfecting my mark on him. I pulled away to admire my handiwork.

You could only really notice it if you knew it was there, because his tattoo kind of covered it up but I didn’t mind. When I looked up at Jax’s eyes, they were dark. His green one had turned from an grass green to a deep forest, and his brown one looked almost black as a film of lust overcame him.

“I don’t want anyone else,” I whispered, “So you can quit thinking that I’ll run to anyone who smiles my way.”

Jax’s eyes closed and a hand came to the back of my head, pushing me close to him. He pressed his forehead against mine and breathed in slowly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. My eyes were closed tightly and I moved a hand up to his hair to grip at the strands. I felt his lips part at the action and a light breath ghosted over my lips.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I was a jackass. We’re not together, so you should be allowed to eat with whoever you want. I was just… I don’t know,” he said.

I sighed and opened my eyes. I stroked a thumb over his cheek and he opened his too.

“The last time I was in this room, we promised each other that we wouldn’t see other people,” I said. “You need to trust that I was telling the truth.”

Jax frowned. “I know you were. It’s just–”

He trailed off and I frowned. “Just what?” I pushed.

Jax sighed. “…I’m just waiting for you to leave again.”

My eyes widened and I pulled away from him. I got off his lap and off the bed. My chest felt tight. We were speaking to each other like we were dating but that wasn’t something that I wanted. I was in too deep and this was just supposed to be a fling.

I ran a hand through my hair and gave Jax a fleeting glance. He was frowning and his fists were clenched. He looked like he regretted something he’d said. I began pacing the room slightly and I heard Jax get off the bed. He moved towards me until he had me backed up against a wall.

“Stop reading into it,” he said. I frowned at him.

“How can I not?” my voice was pitchy and I hated it. Jax pursed his lips and hooked one of my legs around his waist. He shook his head once and then his other hand found mine. He locked our fingers together and raised the hands above my head.

He pressed his lips to mine and my free arm wound around his shoulder to hang on. His kissed me harshly, biting into my bottom lip. I moaned and felt my nipples harden against his chest.

When his lips left mine, they trailed down to my collarbone. He hoisted me up higher and I moaned again. He nipped at my skin and sucked in different places before I pulled his face back up to meet mine. I slid back down the wall as we kissed.

I was breathless when he pulled away.

“We’re back where we started, Jax,” I whispered.

The man frowned, shaking his head. “Then, forget what I said.”

I grimaced. “I don’t know if I can.”

He pecked my lips once more before he untwined our fingers. His hands popped the buttons on both our jeans before he then wrapped both my legs around his waist and turned back to the bed.

I was thrown onto the sheets and was watching the wild look in his eye. His actions were too fast for me to track and suddenly he was on top of me again. My jeans were off and I was left in my panties.

He dragged the straps down with hooked thumbs and kissed his way back up my legs. Somehow, his pants were gone too.

He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to my mound and I gasped. Then his lips were back on mine and my lungs were screaming. When he pulled away, he looked deep into my eyes. I felt like I could see his soul in his eyes and I couldn’t seem to find any words.

“Then, I’ll just have to make you forget,” he whispered. Then he pressed another long kiss to my lips. His hands were everywhere and my mind was a mess as we stayed there all night.

.

**They’re both so stubborn, amiright?**


	35. 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

**Everly**

Jax groaned and pressed himself into my back. His arm tightened around my waist as he tucked my ass into his pelvis. My hand came down over the top of his and I twined our fingers together.

Our legs were tangled and his face was tucked into the crook of my neck. He was breathing slowly as I stroked my thumb over the back of his hand. I felt his chest rumble against my back as he woke up slowly.

I’d been up for about half an hour already but I’d been happy to just lie still. My wine from the night before was coming back to haunt me. I’d found that if I didn’t move too much, then my head wouldn’t pound so much.

Being with Jax last night had more than confused me. He said he was afraid of me leaving, but that kind of talk came with a relationship, which we definitely weren’t in. I just wanted this to be a relaxed fling but it had so obviously spiraled so quickly into something more.

I needed to end this with Jax as soon as I could.

“I can hear you overthinking,” he mumbled into my neck. I sighed and felt his lips press a kiss to my shoulder blade. His arms loosened around me, allowing me to roll over and face him.

He looked down at me with a frown. I frowned back.

“How long have you been up?” he asked, his voice low as he cradled me closer to him. My arm came up and my hand rested on his chest.

“Not long.” My voice sounded raspy to my ears and Jax chuckled.

“Bullshit.”

I rolled my eyes and rested my head on his chest, closing my eyes to breathe in deeply. Jax brought a hand up to tangle it in my hair, stroking softly. His lips pressed to my forehead.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he whispered. I moved from his chest and looked up slowly. His eyes were sincere and he had a slight frown on his face. I sighed and shook my head.

“Same,” I said. Jax bit his bottom lip as he moved down to kiss me. Our kiss was slow and sweet and gentle. It was something I hadn’t felt from Jax in a long time, and it opened my eyes to the fact that whatever we had between us wasn’t what I thought I wanted. I wanted easy going, relaxed and casual. But Jax was giving me sweet and committed.

And I was surprised to find I liked it.

I was so unbelievably conflicted. When I pulled away, I gave Jax a small smile, which he returned.

“We’re a mess,” I whispered. Jax just chuckled, nodding slightly.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” His hand squeezed my hip and I nodded absently. Then I pulled away and sat up. I threw the covers from my body and stood out of the bed. Jax let out a groan and rolled onto his back.

I stretched in place and Jax grinned appreciatively at my naked form. I rolled my eyes at him before I walked into his bathroom. One look in the mirror was enough for me to cringe. My hair was a mess and I still had last night’s makeup on – somewhat smeared.

I ran my hands under the faucet to wash my face before I walked back out to Jax. He was sitting on his bed with his elbows on his knees. He stood up when I walked in. Then he rifled through his dresser.

“I’ve only got club merch for you to wear,” he said. I grimaced and Jax chuckled, pulling a shirt and jeans from a drawer. “I’ll go across the hall and see if Luna has anything that will fit you.”

I smirked. “Good luck with that, she’s like a foot taller than me.”

Jax grinned. “Good. So it’ll cover your ass then.”

I rolled my eyes but watched him shrug on his clothes and walk out the door. I pulled on my bra and panties from last night and waited for him to come back. I found a plain black shirt in his dresser and threw that on.

Jax came back with a pair of skinny jeans and some boots.

“Fuck. You do _not_ wanna walk in on Pres this early in the morning,” he said. I laughed and Jax smirked at me. “Guy damn near took off my head.”

He threw me the clothes and I pulled them on. The pants were too long, so I had to roll the waistline and the legs up to look like they fit. I looked ridiculous. Jax grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.

“I’m gonna have a quick shower, babe. I think Luna said something about pancakes if you’re interested, unless… you wanna join me?” he grinned suggestively. I rolled my eyes and waved him off.

“I’m good. I’ll be down with all the free food.”

Jax grinned and watched as I left the room. As much as I would enjoy a shower with him, I was kind of sore after all our rounds last night – it was an achievement that I got any sleep at all. Plus, my head was so muddled that I didn’t think more sex with Jax would fix anything.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, the crowd from last night had long dispersed. The place was practically empty, save from the group on the couch in the den that was fast asleep. I could see one man with four naked girls piled on top or around him.

My nose wrinkled at the faint smell of sex as I scooted past them and into the kitchen. Luna was dressed in an oversized hoodie and not much else. She was standing over a frypan, watching her pancakes sizzle.

She smiled when I walked in.

“So…” she began, “Jax was pretty pissed when he got here last night. I’m assuming that animosity is gone now?”

I chuckled. “You could say that.”

Luna smiled. “Shit, girl. You must be good in the sack. Lou and I could hear you two going all night.”

I blushed furiously and Luna just grinned. “Sorry I’m crass,” she said. “Cora’s always telling me that I give away a bit too much information sometimes. I have a hard time controlling my filter.”

I smiled, embarrassed. I didn’t think we’d been that loud but I guess this house had thin walls.

“So, then,” she said. “Your appetite must be huge right now. Take a seat and I’ll make you a stack.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking a seat at the island.

“Now, I’m not the greatest cook but pancakes are easy enough. Short stack or long, babe?”

“Short’s fine,” I said, running a hand through my hair. Luna nodded.

“Alright then, one short stack coming right up. There’s orange juice in the fridge, help yourself, yeah? And there’s maple syrup I think.”

I nodded and moved towards the refrigerator. Luna moved to grab two glasses from a nearby cupboard and set them down for me to pour into. I pulled the juice and a few other pancake fix-ins from the fridge before I sat back down at the island.

I busied myself with my drink and Luna cooked happily in silence. I turned when I heard footsteps descending the staircase. Lucas looked grumpy and wrinkled, and he came up behind Luna, hugging her.

She grinned and bumped her hip against his.

“Down boy,” she giggled. “Your bacon’s in the fridge, you might have to cook it on the grill.”

Lucas let out a noncommittal grunt. A second pair of footsteps came up behind me and I turned to see Jax. His blond hair was wet and was making his eyebrow piecing glint. He smelled great. It might’ve been the first time that I couldn’t smell car grease on him, instead it was mint and a hint of Old Spice.

He smirked at me, knowing I was checking him out and he wound his arms around my waist as he stood behind me comfortably.

The four of us didn’t do much talking as Luna sat plates of food down for us all. I dug in silently. Luna made a mean pancake, I found myself reaching for seconds. The three of them then began making small talk, they were discussing something to do with the club that didn’t interest me at all. I scrolled through my phone instead.

I didn’t find anything interesting. Capris had posted a selfie on her Instagram with a yummy, fit looking guy. Her caption wrote ‘you can bench press me any day’ and I chuckled when I read it. I guess she must have bagged the gym teacher she thought was hot.

I liked the photo and shut off my phone. Luna and Lucas announced they were going somewhere, so it left Jax and I alone in the kitchen.

“Come on,” he said. “I wanna go for a ride.”

I frowned curiously and followed him out the door, it wasn’t like I had any work to do today anyway. When we got to his bike, he shrugged on his cut and gave me his spare helmet. I pulled it on, tightening the strap before I stepped on behind him.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Jax shrugged.

“There’s a bar in Fort Pierce that serves great hamburgers,” he suggested. I rolled my eyes.

“We _just_ ate.”

Jax chuckled, shrugging. “I’m a growing boy,” he defended. I rolled my eyes but tightened my arms around his waist. He revved his engine and we were out the drive in mere seconds.

The wind rushed past my face as I held on. Fort Pierce was a good almost hour drive away, but it might be nice to take a walk along the pier or something.

.

Jax was right, the hamburgers at the bar were really good. Then we drove alongside the beach for a while. He pulled into a carpark and we got off, then he took my hand and we started walking along the boardwalk.

It was an extremely surreal moment. Jax was being different and weird. We didn’t do this. We didn’t hold hands and take strolls along the beach.

We didn’t cuddle after spending a night together. We weren’t gentle and we certainly didn’t apologize. Everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours between us was giving me serious whiplash.

My hand felt wrong in his, but also right. I didn’t want him to hold me, but I also did.

It was like I was two people. One who wanted nothing to do with Jax, and one who wanted everything. There was no inbetween for me, so I felt odd switching from one personality to another.

Jax sighed.

“You’re uncharacteristically quiet,” he said, letting go of my hand and instead wrapping it around my waist to pull me closer. I sighed, leaning my head against him as we walked.

I shrugged. “Lot on my mind, I guess.”

Jax sighed and stopped short. “I want to take back what I said to you,” he said.

I frowned. “Which part.”

Jax watched me carefully. “When I told you I was waiting for you to leave,” he clarified. “I didn’t mean it.”

I frowned. “Don’t do that,” I said. Jax raised an eyebrow at me.

“Do what?”

I shrugged. “You did mean it. Otherwise you wouldn’t have said it. So, don’t take it back.”

Jax sighed. “You weren’t ready for it.”

I shrugged. “I don’t care. You were being honest, and even though it’s made me all in my head, I appreciate that you said what you were feeling.”

Jax watched me silently and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“Be honest with me, then,” he said. I frowned and Jax smirked. “Why are you all in your head about it. Tell me why you’re overthinking it.”

I sighed and took a step away from him. I stepped up to the railing on the boardwalk and leant against it, looking out at the ocean.

“No,” I said. Jax came to stand beside me.

“Why not?”

I sighed. “You’re afraid of me running, but if I tell you what I’m thinking, it’ll be you who runs.”

Jax chuckled. “Try me.”

I took a moment. “I’m… _confused_.” Jax chuckled but didn’t say anything. He just stood beside me and let me have the floor. I turned to him.

“In highschool, you and I were so hot and heavy that we burnt out; at least, that’s what it was for me. When I came to you after Mikey, I just wanted someone who I knew could give me what I wanted.

“I just wanted good sex and a casual fling, and you’re great for that,” I said. “But then you say things that make me… and I just can’t do anything about it because I live and work in Lorida, and this – whatever we have – was just supposed to be until I finish this case.

“I didn’t want to get close to you because I have to go back home. I didn’t want to be close to anyone, I just wanted casual sex to help release… anything, I guess. Stress, pressure? I don’t know. I guess, I’ve kind of just been using you, but then you turn around and say stuff that makes my heart hurt and my head confused.

“Because when you say that shit, it puts me in two minds. The me who wants to stay single and just have fun and not get close to you because when you get close to people, they shit all over you like Mikey did. Then there’s the me who wants you with me every day because I know it could be something good.

“I don’t know. I’m just confused. And you saying all this sweet crap is not helping.”

Jax watched me carefully and sighed. It felt great to get all of that off my chest, but a part of me was thinking that Jax was going to hate me for my admission, and he’d drive off and leave me here with no way back to Okeechobee.

I hated admitting that I was using him. I knew that he knew that’s what I was doing, but I felt shit saying the words out loud. I felt like a really shitty person.

Jax pulled me closer to him and stroked my cheek with his thumb.

“I’ll stop,” he said. I frowned and he gave me a sad smile.

“I mean I’ll stop saying that shit. I don’t mean to, it kind of just slips out. I’ll let you set the pace for whatever this is. You want to use me? Then, I’m fine with that. You want something more? Then, I’m fine with that, too,” he said.

I sighed. Jax pushed my face to look into his eyes. He gave me a sincere look before he pressed his lips to mine gently. I melted into him, grasping at his leather cut with numb fingers. He groaned into my throat, making the vibrations go straight to my core. I shuddered and Jax pulled away, smirking at me.

He knew exactly what he’d done and I glared playfully at him.

“Right, let’s get back then,” he said. Then he took my hand and pulled me back towards where his bike was parked. I followed in a daze, gripping onto his arm and leaning into him.

When we got back to the bike, I was surprised to see someone sitting on it. My eyes widened and I snuck a glance at Jax, who seemed eerily calm. The man sitting on Jax’s bike hadn’t noticed us yet, and his girlfriend was standing close by, holding up a phone and getting ready to snap a photo.

She noticed us before her boyfriend did, and her smile turned quickly to a grimace of shocked fear.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she gushed. “I told him not to sit on your bike.” Jax smirked and waved her off. Her boyfriend looked up at us with fear in his eyes. I eyed his girlfriend. She had a split lip and a bruise under her eye.

“Did you do that to her lip?” I asked him. The man sent me a sneer.

“Bitch has a mouth on her,” he spat out. I raised my eyebrow with a smirk and looked over at the girl. She looked embarrassed. Jax took the phone from her hand.

“Here, why don’t you let me take it,” he said. I cringed. I knew what was coming.

“So,” Jax said, “You like Harley’s, huh?”

The man on his bike grinned. “Oh yeah, my grandpa used to have one and was going to give it to me ‘til it got totaled in a crash,” he said.

Jax nodded along, playing the part. “Say cheese,” he said.

The man smiled and Jax snapped the photo. “Thanks so much, man,” the guy said. Jax shrugged, waving it off.

“No trouble at all. You sure you don’t want the after?” he asked. The man gave him a confused look, and before he could question it, Jax landed a powerful right hook across the guy’s jaw.

He fell to the ground and Jax stood up tall.

“You don’t _ever_ sit on another man’s bike, dickhead,” he said. The man got up hurriedly and scampered away. He left his girlfriend standing there with her jaw hanging open.

Jax gave her a nod. “Here’s some advice, love. Leave him before he can lay another finger on you.” The girl nodded silently before also walking away. Jax swung his leg over the bike and fastened his helmet. I hadn’t said a word.

He looked at me with a smirk. “You gonna write me up for assault?” he asked.

I paused, shrugging.

“No. The guy was an idiot for thinking a biker wouldn’t be protective over his property. I’ll just say I wasn’t looking,” I smiled.

Jax chuckled and pulled me closer to him. He pulled me down and I kissed him harshly. He bit my bottom lip before he pulled away.

“Fucking _love_ corrupting you, babe,” he chuckled. I grinned and swung my leg over his bike, settling in behind him.

.

**I love protective Jax.**


	36. 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

**Everly**

I was back at work the day after Jax had taken me to Fort Pierce. There wasn’t any new information on my case, so I spent the day helping Imogen sort through boxes of old evidence for closed cases.

Just after lunch, my attention turned to the opening of the bullpen, where someone was being brought into the station. My eyes widened when I recognized the leather cut and crop of blond hair.

My mouth dropped in surprise when Jax gave me a half shrug as he was hauled through the bullpen and down the stairs to where the new holding cells were. I didn’t recognize either of the cops who had brought him in.

“What the fuck just happened?” I voiced. Imogen gave me a twin look of confusion.

“I have no idea,” she said, her voice shocked. We had both abandoned our evidence boxes. I turned to face Chief Wells’ office. I could see through his window that he was on the phone. I’d wait until he finished his call before I barged in there.

I looked around the rest of the precinct to see that everyone else had gone back to their business, aside from Nagata, who was sitting at an empty desk with an odd look on his face. When I caught his eye, he sent me a half assed shrug. I frowned.

What the fuck had Jax gotten himself into this time?

I sat in my desk chair and watched Wells like a hawk. He was on the phone for another fifteen minutes and I was damn near close to chewing my nails to pass the time. When he finally hung up the phone, I was out of my seat in seconds and marching towards his door.

I knocked twice and let myself in. He sighed tiredly when he realized it was me.

“What is it, Shimura?”

I frowned, shutting the door behind me.

“Why was Jacob Jackson arrested?” I said, point blank. Wells stared me down.

“He wasn’t arrested, we’ve just brought him in to ask a few questions. We got a report from a man in Fort Pierce saying that Jackson assaulted him,” Wells said. I sighed.

Shit.

“So, why was he taken to the holding cells, then?”

Wells scrubbed a hand over his beard. “Interrogation room is in use at the moment. We just needed somewhere to put him and I didn’t want to disrupt anyone in the bullpen.”

I nodded. I waited a moment, contemplating whether I should ask my next question. My curiosity won out.

“Can I go talk to him?” I asked. Wells looked up from his desk and give me a wild look. His eyebrow was raised.

“Why would _you_ want to talk to him?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Just curious.”

Wells sighed and fiddled with something on his desk while he tried to figure out my motive. I just held his gaze. Eventually he sighed in defeat and waved his hand.

“Fine. Just make it quick.”

I grinned and nodded at the Chief before I left the room. Imogen caught my eye as I walked back through the bullpen and she smirked, shaking her head knowingly. I grinned.

I made my way down the stairs to the holding cell. Jax was the only one in there when I arrived. He looked up when he heard my footsteps and chuckled.

“Here to organize a conjugal?” he quipped. I rolled my eyes.

“You’re not in jail,” I said. “That’s not exactly how this works. Besides…” I said, motioning towards the corner of the ceiling, “Wouldn’t want to give those guys a peep show.”

Jax eyed the camera that I pointed at and chuckled.

“Is it audio and video?” he asked. I shook my head.

“They haven’t upgraded the system in years, so, no audio.”

Jax nodded, smirking. He got up from his seat and came towards the metal bars until we stood in front of each other. Jax grinned down at me.

“So. Why have I been arrested?” he asked. I frowned.

“They didn’t tell you?”

Jax shrugged. “Didn’t read me my Miranda Rights either.”

I sighed. “You haven’t been arrested, they just put you down here because the interrogation room is being used right now. Apparently, the guy from Fort Pierce yesterday is pressing charges on grounds of assault.”

Jax whistled, grinning. “That idiot hasn’t got shit on me.”

I frowned. “Jax, you have to take this seriously. If they find even one bit of evidence, any lawyer would have a hard time convincing a judge not to put an outlaw biker behind bars.”

Jax rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t be my first time inside, babe. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

My eyes widened. “When were you in jail?” My voice was high and full of incredulity.

Jax grinned. “Oh, babe, there’s _so_ much you don’t know about me from the years we were apart.”

I frowned. I hadn’t expected any of this. I was shocked.

“What was it for?” I asked. Jax shrugged.

“Six months as a warning. Got caught gambling on an illegal fight in the underground.”

My eyes widened. Jax just rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I mean it was shit at the time, because if I hadn’t’ve been caught I’d have made a quarter million dollars, but whatever.”

My jaw dropped. “Who did you bet on? And where did you get enough to make that bet?”

Jax grinned. “Pres used to fight back in the day, back when his old man was still in charge of the charter. He was damn good at it, too. Could have gone pro if he wanted to.”

I shook my head, closing my eyes. “We’re getting off track here,” I said. Jax chuckled.

“Alright, so why’re you down here?” he asked. I sighed.

“If this guy is serious about pressing charges, he’ll need some kind of evidence. The only witness was his girlfriend, and the only proof he sat on the bike was the photo you took,” I said.

“So, what? We talk to the girl and convince her to keep her mouth shut?” he said. I frowned.

“It’s illegal to intimidate a witness like that,” I said.

Jax shrugged. “Thought you wanted to keep me out of jail?”

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “Ughhh, I _so_ don’t have time for this right now. I mean, on top of my case, this is fucking ridiculous.”

Jax just smirked at me. “Well, don’t worry about me then, babe. I can rock prison orange. All we gotta figure out is if you’re comfortable coming by during visiting hours.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please be serious about this, Jax.”

“I mean, it’d be kind of hard,” he continued to ramble, “You’d have to learn to live without my dick, for one. And I’d have to make sure none of the other guys in there took advantage of me when I thought about you and got horny and hard.”

I shot Jax a look. “You’re insane. Seriously, cut it out. We have bigger things to worry about than whatever shit you’re spouting right now.”

He laughed. “Can’t imagine there’s anything bigger than–”

“Would you just shut the fuck up,” I cut him off. He smirked at me. I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re not helping.”

He grinned. “Sorry. I’ll stop,” he chuckled. I rolled my eyes at him and waved him off.

“Right, so, even for questioning, we can only hold your for forty-eight hours without evidence or conviction. It’s really just their word against yours at this point,” I said.

Jax shrugged, nodding.

“So, what’s the game plan, then?” he asked. I sighed.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know the names of the guys who brought you in. I don’t know who will be assigned to question you, so I kind of have nothing at the moment,” I said. “I’ll try and get all the information I can from everyone involved and try to get this charge dropped.”

Jax grinned, nodding. “That’s my girl,” he said. “I love watching you do detective shit. Turns me on.”

I rolled my eyes at him and began walking away. I couldn’t deal with his sarcasm right now; I was on a time crunch. As I neared the stairs, he called after me.

“Babe, wait!”

I turned around to face him. I raised an eyebrow in question and he grinned.

“Can you get me a snack from the vending machine? Some Gushers or a protein bar or something? I’m feeling peckish.”

I rolled my eyes.

“What are you? Twelve?” I quipped.

“Thirteen, actually,” he replied with a grin. I sighed, waving him off.

“Fine,” I said, before I walked up the stairs.

.

***mature content warning***

I had been unsuccessful in finding out any more information about the assault charge against Jax and it had been almost six hours. I had taken him a bag of baby carrots and a pillow because it looked like he was spending the night in the cell.

I had watched his interrogation tape to see what he’d said and nothing had come of it. He denied the assault, saying that he’d taken a photo of the man on his bike, but then nothing else after that.

The cop who was questioning him looked downhearted. Jax’s accuser had no evidence; I just had to make sure that the guy’s girlfriend didn’t spill the beans. Besides, the guy was an abusive asshole himself, if that girl’s split lip and bruised eye were anything to go by.

I could get this case thrown out if I had two hands tied behind my back and was wearing a blindfold. But, it seemed that Jax would be staying the full forty-eight hours in the station. But that didn’t mean _I_ had to.

I made my way home and fed my cat, who looked cranky that I hadn’t spent enough time around her lately. I settled on the couch with her to watch television with my dinner.

The show that I was watching quickly became boring so I began flipping through channels. My eyes widened when I landed on a porn channel. I raised an eyebrow and kept it on. There was nothing wrong with a woman enjoying a healthy amount of sex, and I wasn’t opposed to porn.

So, I made myself comfortable and watched as a girl went down on another girl. While I wasn’t a lesbian myself, I didn’t see anything wrong in enjoying some same-sex pornographic material.

My breathing deepened as I found myself getting turned on at the images. I looked around my living room. It was dark and it seemed that Daphne had put herself to sleep in my bedroom.

One of my hands ghosted down to my chest and I kneaded at my breasts, enjoying the feeling of taut nipples bare against my t-shirt. I closed my eyes and let the sounds of the girls wonton moaning fill my ears.

My lips parted in a silent breath as I trailed my fingers down my stomach. I pushed further, taking my shorts and panties down to my knees. I needed this release. I had been so stressed and confused over the past few days let alone the past six hours, that this was pent up inside me.

I let out a breathy moan when my fingers breezed over my pussy lips. I spread the digits and ran them over the outside of the lips slowly. I clenched my eyes shut and forced myself to react only to the sounds I could hear.

The girls in the video were eating each other out, and I focused on the sound of tongues against kitties and their jilted moans. I felt a zing of pleasure vibrate through my body as I used my free hand to tweak at my nipples.

I pinched them lightly, twisting them between my fingertips and pulling. I gasped as my hips began to grind against the air.

I pressed the pad of a finger against my clit, rubbing slowly at first before pushing myself to go faster. My body reacted to my actions in the only way it knew how. Fireworks erupted behind my eyes as I clenched them shut. I guided two fingers down to my hole where I could feel my arousal.

I could even smell it in the air.

I whispered out a moan when I pushed my fingers into my core, up to the knuckle. I did it slowly, teasing myself with my own touch. I curled my fingers before dragging them out again slowly.

I repeated my motions, driving my body up the wall. I moaned and my back arched with each tug of my fingers. My thighs burned as I tried to elevate my hips for a better access angle. I groaned in frustration, a tear leaking from my eye, when I felt my body on the brink of release.

My toes tingled, wanting to curl, and my stomach clenched. My television was silent as the video finished and I tried to get myself off. I tried speeding up and I tried slowing down. I tried going hard and I tried being soft.

I couldn’t get myself to let go and I let out a frustrated yell.

“Fucking son of a bitch!” I screeched. I pulled my fingers from my body and lay on my couch. My mind was filtering images of Jax in the nude to try and get me turned on again, but somehow, it wasn’t working.

I scowled and sat up. My body was on edge and I needed a release but I couldn’t find it. I glared at my useless fingers and cursed Jax for making me rely on him for an orgasm. There was nothing more unsatisfying than not being able to make yourself come.

I pulled a pillow up from my sofa, pressing it to my face and letting out a loud scream. I didn’t want my neighbors to think I was being murdered, but I had to let this shit out somehow.

_Damn you, Jacob Jackson, you stupid son of a bitch!_ I thought to myself.

He was the only person who’d ever been able to make me come and I hated that. I fucking hated how that made me feel, and how my body was manipulating me into craving him. I cursed myself and punched my scream pillow.

Then I yanked my shorts and panties off, before stripping out of my shirt. I needed an hour-long cold shower to feel even a semblance of normalcy now.

_Fucking hell_ , I thought. _He really does have his hooks in me._

_._

**That’s not the only thing he’s had in you, Ev…**


	37. 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

**Everly**

I hadn’t slept well last night, thanks to my underwhelming attempt at self-pleasure. The scowl on my face as I entered the precinct was the best form of conversation deterrent a girl could ask for.

Coffee in hand, I made my way to my desk. The guy who had accused Jax of assault was coming in today to make a statement and give what evidence he had. _I_ had to make sure that I hid somewhere so that he wouldn’t recognise me. I didn’t need him getting that kind of leverage in this case.

I was going to stand behind the one-way glass and make sure that this guy told the truth about everything. I didn’t have any way to prove that he _wasn’t_ telling the truth without implicating myself, but I could try at least.

It was early, and he wasn’t set to get here for another few hours, so I busied myself with my leftover evidence lockup work from the day before. Jax was still sitting in his cell, no doubt, and a part of me wanted to go and talk to him but I knew if I did, Wells would start getting suspicious.

I sighed before taking a sip of my coffee. Imogen wasn’t at work yet, so I had some time to kill before I really started getting into any kind of work. I pulled out my phone and had a text conversation with Capris until she ditched me to start a class.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Everyone at their desks around me were hard at work and I scowled at all of their concentrated faces. I couldn’t figure out why I was so restless.

I felt like procrastinating until the end of the day, but I knew that Jax didn’t have much time left in his forty-eight hours. Nagata caught my eye as I was looking around. He waved me over and I grudgingly got out of my seat.

We hadn’t said a word to each other since our ‘date’, but maybe he’d made a breakthrough on the case and we could carry on as colleagues. I followed him into the break room and sat at a table as I watched him brew a coffee.

“What’s up?” I asked dejectedly. Nagata rose an eyebrow at me.

“Nothing. I wanted to go over some stuff about the case.”

I nodded and leaned back in my seat. “I’m listening.”

Nagata nodded. “So, as we suspected, Phillips has gone after Bailey and it seems that Bailey has granted him protection.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “How’d you get that information?” I asked, shocked.

Nagata took a sip of his coffee. “I have my ways. They were keeping him at a ranch property out of town – I suspect they were squatting – but now they’ve moved elsewhere.”

I frowned. “Why didn’t we go after him when we knew where he was?”

Nagata’s lip twitched. “I didn’t have enough time to formulate a plan to get Phillips out in one piece. My resources told me that Bailey’s men are fully armed and almost shot him on arrival.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“They moved location before I could get a team together,” he said.

I nodded. “Yeah, I get it. That’s shit though. Do we have any idea about where they’ve moved to?”

Nagata shook his head. “I have a few eyes and ears out around town to see if we can find them.”

I nodded, then I moved out of my seat. I could see through a window that Imogen was getting her desk set up. If Nagata had nothing left to say, then I was going to finish helping her with her evidence.

“Shimura,” Nagata said as I reached for the door handle.

I turned and raised my eyebrow at him. He set down his coffee and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I want to apologize for the other night,” he said.

I took my hand off the handle and turned around, a confused look on my face. I hadn’t been expecting that.

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong…”

Nagata shrugged. “Still… after hearing about your relationship with your parents, I understood what they had hoped the dinner would turn into. Besides, even if I’d known it was a date, and I known it was with you… well, I wouldn’t have gone,” he said.

I frowned. _What the_ fuck _was that supposed to mean?_ That was a kick in the guts if I’d ever heard one.

Nagata’s eyes widened as he realized how that must have sounded. “Shit, that’s not what I meant.”

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed. “Look, Everly, you’re extremely beautiful, make no mistake,” he said, “It’s just that… I know that you and Jackson are involved, so I would never want to get in the middle of anything or step on any toes.”

I blushed at his compliment and he continued.

“I only agreed to the dinner as a favor to my parents, and I never meant to cause problems for anyone,” he said. “Did you end up sorting things out with him?”

I bit my lip, considering how to answer that. Then I nodded once.

“Yeah. We’re fine. I explained everything to him and he calmed down.”

Nagata nodded before looking at the floor. The air became awkward between us and I reached for the door handle again, needing an out from this conversation. But then the next words slipped from my lips before I could stop them.

“I understand why they picked you,” I said, turning to face him again. Nagata frowned at me, confused.

“My parents, I mean. I understand why they picked you as my date.”

Nagata raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed. I wasn’t good at this shit but I was going to give it a go.

“My father wanted me to quit my job, but you’re in the same field. So, I guess he must have thought that by matching me with you, he thought I’d be content to sit on the sidelines and watch you solve your own cases. You know,” I said, “That keeps me out of my career but still somewhat involved.

“He probably thought that my watching over your shoulder would be enough to satisfy me. But that’s exactly where he’s entirely wrong. He thinks that I took this job because I was bored, and not because it’s my passion. Watching someone else do that kind of job while I sat by would make me fucking crazy. But… I guess I can understand his logic behind our pairing.”

Nagata regarded my statement in silence. Then he nodded, and the air became thick with awkward tension again.

I sighed, nodding once.

“Why is Jackson in that cell downstairs?” Nagata asked.

I frowned.

“I didn’t know you knew about that.”

Nagata shrugged. “Not much gets past me.”

My lip twitched. “He got charged with assault. We can keep him for forty-eight hours.”

Nagata frowned. “Who did he assault? It wasn’t you, was it?”

I smirked. “Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself. Plus, that pussy couldn’t take me on,” I laughed. Nagata cracked a smile at my joke. “No, some guy in Fort Pierce charged him. He’s coming in later today to give a statement and then the deputy who brought Jax in will decide if the case has enough merit to arrest him.”

Nagata nodded, frowning. “Would you mind if I assisted?”

My eyebrow rose. “Why would you want to help Jax?”

Nagata shrugged, his eyes darting from mine and focusing on something on the floor. “Well, seeing as our case ha hit a wall, I have nothing to do. Plus, in the times that I’ve spoken to Mr. Jackson, he hasn’t come off as the kind of person to assault someone unprovoked. I’d like to help if I can.”

I frowned, but nodded. “Okay, cool, I mean, I’ll take all the help I can get but I’m really only looking at this from the sidelines. I don’t even know which deputy brought Jax in for questioning…”

Nagata waved me off and poured the remainder of his coffee down the sink. “I’ll figure it out.”

My eyebrows furrowed but I nodded. “Alright, cool then.”

Nagata nodded as I turned to leave the room once again. “So, no hard feelings on the whole date thing, then?” he clarified.

I pursed my lips but shook my head.

“None at all. I mean, unless you can’t help me get Jax out of that cell,” I joked. Nagata cracked a smile and nodded.

.

I stood behind the one-way glass, fuming. The guy who sat on Jax’s bike was mere feet away from me, and while I had witnessed Jax actually punch the guy, he looked absolutely fine. He had no visible bruising on his face and I’d only seen Jax make his nose bleed.

His nose didn’t look dented or crooked or broken. I was pissed. He had this self-assured smirk on his face like he was ready to put Jax behind bars for the rest of his life. And, while I don’t condone assault, the guy had it coming.

Everyone and their aunt’s neighbor know about biker stereotypes. While saying that he was ‘asking for it’ by sitting on Jax’s bike is something terrible to say, it is also kind of true. Just because a motorcycle doesn’t have doors like a car does, doesn’t make it a free-for-all.

This guy would have been fully within his rights to punch Jax in the face if Jax had sat inside his car, or in his house or something. Bottom line – you don’t occupy someone else’s property without their permission, no matter how badass you might look in a photo.

This whole charge was ridiculous and this guy was playing with danger. Everyone knows that where one biker is, a whole club follows. And by going after the VP… well, lets just say he was lucky that the club hadn’t caught wind of the charge yet.

I watched him sit there looking smug while I waited for Nagata and the arresting deputy to walk in. When they finally arrived, the guy was looking extremely proud of himself. The two officers made themselves comfortable as they set out their papers to take a statement.

“Right,” Nagata said. “Please state your name and date of birth.”

“Neil Coulson. May eighteenth, 1968.”

“Have you been arrested or charged with any felonies before? This includes minor charges including alcohol or drugs.”

“No. Oh, well actually I failed a breath test once in college.”

Nagata nodded and wrote it down. “Have you charged anyone else with a felony before?”

“No.”

“What are you here today, regarding?”

“An assault,” the man said proudly, crossing his arms.

Nagata nodded. “Okay, please state your recount of events leading up to and following the alleged assault.”

“Well. I was with my girlfriend in Fort Pierce and we came across this sweet Harley. I’m kind of obsessed and my Gramps used to own one, so I asked my girlfriend to take a picture of me with it.”

Nagata held up a hand to interrupt. “To clarify, did you get _on_ the motorcycle, or just stand beside it?”

I watched as the guy’s cocky attitude faltered for a moment. “Well… I sat on it.”

“I see,” Nagata nodded, jotting it down. “Please carry on.”

Neil nodded slowly. “Right, well anyway. This huge biker comes up with his old lady and offers to take the photo for me. So, my girlfriend gave him the phone and then he snapped the pic and then punched me across the face. Made my nose bleed like shit and I ran off after that.”

“You left your girlfriend with the couple?” Nagata asked. Neil nodded.

Nagata nodded once. “Do you know the name of the man who punched you, or have any descriptors?”

The man shook his head. “Don’t know his name, but the guy was wearing a leather jacket with a ‘DireWolves’ logo on the back. He had a tag on the front that said, ‘Vice President’. I looked up his club and found out he lived here, that’s why I charged him through this police station.”

Nagata nodded. “Okay. Well, Mr. Coulson. We’re going to need to see the photo from your phone.”

Coulson frowned. “My girl still has it,” he said.

“Well, we need to talk to her, too, seeing as she witnessed the act. Do you have a way to get in touch with her and get her to the station in the next eighteen hours?” Nagata asked.

Coulson frowned. “Nah, she broke up with me. She wouldn’t come in to say shit.”

Nagata sat back in his chair, as did the other deputy. “Well, then, without a statement or proof of assault, this all becomes fairly black and white,” he said.

Coulson frowned. “I don’t get it. A guy comes in here and says someone assaulted him but the cops don’t do shit?”

Nagata shook his head. “Not quite. As it stands, you’ve admitted to trespassing on another man’s property, so he was well within his rights to protect it. You say that he caused you bodily harm, but if I were to get you checked by an M.E. right now, I’m sure they’d tell me you’re fine. Without a statement from another witness or physical proof, there’s not much else we can do.”

Coulson stood up from his chair.

“That’s bullshit!” he yelled. “What about his bitch?”

Nagata frowned. “The woman accompanying the biker?” he clarified.

“Yeah, his old lady!”

Nagata frowned again and the second deputy glared at Coulson.

“Mr. Coulson, if you cannot control your tone, you will be escorted out of this precinct.”

The man rolled his eyes and Nagata sighed. “Description?” he asked.

Coulson scowled. “I dunno. Short, Asian, real pretty piece of ass,” he said. I scowled at the description of me. I watched Nagata stiffen slightly before he carried on taking notes.

He nodded when he was finished. “Right, well, as it stands, Mr. Coulson, we have held your alleged assaulter in our custody for the past thirty hours. We can only hold him for forty-eight in total. If we cannot uncover any more witnesses or evidence in that time, we are legally obligated to let him go.”

Coulson scowled at that response.

“We thank you for your statement, and we hope we can resolve this,” he said. Then he got up and stormed from the room, leaving the deputy alone with him. I ran a hand through my hair. I jumped when Nagata entered my viewing room.

He scowled at me.

“You witnessed this all happen?” he demanded.

I rolled my eyes. Nagata huffed.

“Look, detective, I understand your want to protect your boyfriend, but as an officer of the law, you should have reported this yourself.”

I rolled my eyes. “First of all, Jax isn’t my boyfriend. Second of all, reported what? You said it yourself, the guy trespassed and in my opinion, got what he deserved.”

Nagata scowled at me.

“You know that this isn’t how this works and you’re lucky I’m taking your side in this when I _should_ be taking your badge and gun, and suspending you.”

I scowled. “What are you gonna do then?”

Nagata sighed. “Well it just so happens that I actually like you and Mr. Jackson, so I’m going to help you out. But this kind of shit can’t keep happening.”

I rolled my eyes but nodded.

“Thankyou,” I said. Nagata waved me off and left the room, muttering to himself. I allowed myself a small victory grin as I settled with the idea that Jax wouldn’t be heading off to jail. He was right, I would miss his dick. Damn him.

I felt a sense of relief at the thought that he wasn’t going anywhere and that a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I hadn’t realized I’d been this worried about his case. I’d let him rot in that cell for a few more hours before I graced him with my presence. I needed to wrap my head around every thought racing through my brain.

.

**We love this dirty cop.**


	38. 36

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

**Coraline**

I groaned as an incessant ringing filled my ears. My eyes managed to budge open a minute crack to look around. Gage was fast asleep and had me locked in a death grip. I grit my teeth as the light from his phone on the bedside table was blinding.

I grit my teeth and pushed at his arms to release me. He let a low rumble surface in his chest but eventually let me go and I managed to make it to the device before it stopped blaring. I frowned. Lucas was calling.

I picked up the phone and held it to my ear, taking two steps away from the bed.

“Hello?” My voice sounded thick and I coughed once to clear my throat. I gave Bullet a quick glance. He was lying in his doggy bed in the corner of the room and his ears were perked up.

“Cora?” Lucas asked. “Is Trigger up?”

I flicked my eyes over to my sleeping boyfriend. He had rolled over onto his stomach and buried his head into the pillow that he was cradling like a teddy bear. I glared at his sleeping form.

“No,” I sighed, looking over at the alarm clock beside the bed. It was three in the morning. “What’s up?”

Lucas sighed.

“You know how you asked yesterday where Jax was?”

I gave a small noise of acknowledgement. Lucas sighed.

“I just got a call from him. He’s at the police station, being kept for questioning about some damn assault over the weekend.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Bullet got out of his bed and came to sit beside my leg. He leaned against me so I brought a hand down to rub him between the ears.

“What happened?”

“Some guy in Fort Pierce sat on his bike, so Jax punched him and now the guy is pleading assault.”

My eyes widened. “Shit, please tell me he’s not going back inside.”

“No, nothing like that. Apparently, Everly is looking into it and she’s said that the guy has no evidence besides a girlfriend that was supposedly a witness.”

I frowned. “So, wait, you’re telling me that Jax could potentially be arrested just because some idiot thought it was fine to sit on the bike that belonged to the Vice President of an outlaw club?”

Lucas chuckled. “Fucking idiot, I know.”

I grinned. “So…… what do you need Gage for?”

Lucas sighed. “I need him to go intimidate the girlfriend and convince her not to say shit. We can’t afford for Jax to get locked up.”

I nodded though my brother couldn’t see me. I heard Gage groan lowly from the bed.

“ _Moró_ , get back here. I’m cold,” I heard Gage groan from the bed. I rolled my eyes, smirking. Bullet licked my hand as I realized I’d momentarily stopped petting him.

“I’ll get him right on it,” I told my brother. “Just, promise me that you’re not asking him to rough this girl up?”

“Fuck, Cora, who do you take me for? I just want him to talk to the girl.”

I nodded. “Fine. I’ll relay the message. Thank you for interrupting my REM cycle,” I said sarcastically.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m sending through the girl’s address now,” Lucas grunted before hanging up the phone. I put it down and looked over at Gage. He was staring at me with one eye open and a grimace on his face. He knew who I’d been talking to.

“What did he want?” he asked, his voice raspy. Bullet sensed the end of my conversation with my brother and walked back to his bed, lying down. I ran a hand through my hair and slid back in beside my boyfriend. Gage took the opportunity to wrap his arms back around my waist. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and breathed in deeply.

“Jax got into some trouble at the station. Lou needs you to go and convince a witness not to talk.”

Gage groaned and let me go, rolling over angrily.

“I’m going to kill him,” Gage muttered. “Dickhead needs to learn not to pull shit like this.”

I smirked. “From what I heard; he punched a guy for sitting on his bike. Pretty warranted reaction, if you ask me. I would’ve done the same thing,” I shrugged. Gage huffed and stood from the bed, making his way to the closet.

I admired his naked back as he walked. I could make out every ridge and line of muscle with every step he took. We’d been together for so long already and I was still amazed by him. I had thought that my attraction to him would have died down a little by now but I was still as hot for him as I was in high school.

Maybe even more.

When Gage re-emerged from the closet, he was dressed in jeans and his cut. He stopped to pull on his boots before he walked up to the bed. He leaned down to press his lips to mine softly and I moaned as I reached up to cup his face. Gage groaned into our kiss when he tried to pull away.

I didn’t let him, instead holding him closer for a little while longer. He tasted like his peppermint toothpaste. I smiled when he managed to finally get out of my grasp.

“You’ll be the death of me, woman,” he muttered and I smirked.

“You know it.”

Gage rolled his eyes before reaching for his phone. He checked the latest text message with a frown. “Fort Pierce? Really?” he sighed before pocketing the device. I bit my lip as my eyes dragged over him.

I had never told him, but I found his role in the club extremely sexy. For all his silence and brooding, he made a great Sergeant at Arms. As the club enforcer, it was basically his job to be intimidating and fucking terrifying. The fact that he’d been in the military was just the cherry on top of his training.

Anyone who crossed the club came straight onto Gage’s radar, and it was hard not to admit that the entire role was fucking hot. My boyfriend eyed me once more, catching me checking him out and his lip pulled into a smirk.

“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll never leave,” he whispered, leaning forward to brush his lips against mine.

“Don’t then,” I said. “Let Jax sort out his own shit.”

Gage rolled his eyes at me and pecked me once before leaning away. He was too quick for me to catch him and drag him back to bed. He chuckled at me.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Try and get some sleep,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “You know damn well that that won’t be possible ‘til you get back.”

Gage chuckled as he grabbed the keys to his bike before walking to the door. Bullet watched as his owner moved and reached his head up when Gage was close enough. I watched Gage stroke him behind the ears and I smiled.

“I love you,” I blurted out. Gage looked up at me, slight shock in his eyes at my words. I blushed a little. We didn’t say it to each other out loud often, but something about seeing him so tentative with man’s best friend twisted my insides in a beautiful way and pulled the words from my lips before I could stop them.

Then Gage gave me one of his rare smiles.

“I love you, too, _moró_ ,” he said. I smiled, bunching my covers up to my neck as I watched Gage turn and leave the room. Not minutes later I heard his bike roaring out the driveway. I sighed and leaned back in my bed.

I felt the mattress dip slightly as Bullet got up on the bed. He lay down and rested his head in my lap before letting out a sigh. I smiled, welcoming his body heat as my hand found his head, stroking his soft coat.

I knew I wouldn’t sleep until Gage was back, but this was relaxing enough.

.

**Everly**

I had been restless throughout the night. Something about the knowledge that Jax had been sitting in a cell for almost a full forty-eight hours was weighing on my mind. I cast my eyes over the time on my phone.

It was almost six in the morning and the sun wasn’t up yet. I sighed and was about to turn it off when it startled me by starting to vibrate in my hand.

The number was unknown but I answered it anyway.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hey, babe.”

My eyes widened as my lips formed an ‘o’ shape.

“Jax?”

I heard him chuckle through the line.

“How are you calling me right now?” I said.

“My phone is dead, I’m using an abandoned desk phone.”

I frowned. “Okay… umm, what’s going on?”

I could imagine him smirking right now. “Apparently the guy dropped the charge so your buddies here let me out of my cell. I need a ride home.”

“What? Why’d he drop it?”

Jax was silent on the other end of the phone for a while, like he was debating what to say.

“Beats me. Can you come get me or not? I can call someone at the club or something…”

“No, it’s fine,” I cut him off. “I’ll be there in ten.”

Jax hung up the phone without saying anything else and I let my hand fall from my ear. My brows furrowed as I tried to wrap my head around all this. Coulson had seemed adamant on putting Jax behind bars, so I wondered what had changed his mind?

I hurriedly got off my bed and got myself dressed in some sweats. I wasn’t in the mood to put effort into an outfit. Then I got in my car and made it to the station. Jax was leaning against the outer wall of the precinct when I got there.

He had a lit cigarette in his hand, which he dropped and snubbed out with his foot when he watched my car park in the lot. He walked over to me and fell into the passenger seat without a word.

I put my car in drive and backed out of my spot. Jax was silent as we drove and I wrinkled my nose at the faint smoke smell on him. He must not have had the thing lit for too long though, because the smell wasn’t overpowering.

He looked like shit, which I pretty much expected after two days in a police station without access to a shower and clean clothes. I gave him a sideways glance as I drove him back to his workshop.

The sun was beginning to rise just as I made it into his parking area. The engine dulled when we came to a stop and then we just sat in silence. I frowned and looked over at Jax. He had bags under his eyes and he was staring out my windscreen.

He noticed me staring and rolled his eyes at me. Then, before I could utter a word, he opened his door and left my car. I watched as he moved towards his office, opening the door and disappearing inside.

_What the fuck? Did I not even get a thank you?_

I got out of my car and slammed the door behind me. I marched up to his office and walked inside, then up the stairs to his apartment. He was in his room, undressing when I got up there. He turned around and watched as I glared at him.

I didn’t say anything, wanting him to realize his mistake on his own, so instead I just rose an eyebrow accusingly at him. He didn’t thank me. Instead, he stood still, shirtless, and watched me.

What were we doing? This was why it would never work with Jax. He changed personalities and temperament so quickly that I couldn’t keep up. One minute he was sassy and comical as he joked around and the next minute, he was silent and noncommittal.

I wanted to punch him.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Thank you,” he said grudgingly.

I rolled my eyes.

“You don’t mean it,” I said. “I want you to give me gratitude because you _want_ to, not because I’ve demanded it.”

Jax chuckled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. He took two steps towards me and placed his hands on my waist.

“I do mean it, I’m just an asshole,” he said. “I’ve just been… thinking.”

I frowned. “About what?”

Jax sighed. “I don’t like lying to you,” he said, “So, I’ve been berating myself since our phone call this morning. You asked why the guy dropped the charge, and the truth is, I might have pulled a few strings with the club.”

I frowned and pulled away from him slightly.

“What are you talking about?”

Jax shrugged. “Nagata came and talked to me last night. He told me they were waiting on a witness statement from the guy’s girlfriend. So, I asked Pres to send someone to ask her not to talk.”

My jaw dropped.

“You _what?_ ” My head was swirling with images of that poor girl being persuaded not to talk.

Jax rolled his eyes. “We didn’t hurt the girl,” he clarified. I glared at him.

“No. Instead you had a biker show up at her house in the middle of the night to scare her,” I said accusingly. Jax watched me.

“Would you rather I go to jail?”

I frowned, biting my lip. I sighed, shaking my head.

“No… I just… this is really hard for me,” I said. Jax eyed me.

“What’s hard?”

Then, before I could reply, he smirked at his double entendre. I rolled my eyes at him and he grinned, chuckling lowly.

“It’s hard for me to put aside my police rank and not arrest you for the illegal shit you admit to doing in front of me.”

Jax grinned and his hands ghosted underneath my sweatshirt to stroke at my bare skin. I felt hot all over. My eyes fell closed slightly as I let him touch me.

A small breath whispered through my lips as his thumbs stroked slowly at my hips. He leant forward and placed his forehead against mine. His eyes closed too and we stood holding each other for a moment.

“I missed you,” he whispered. I cracked an eye open and watched him grin. “Two days in that cell without being able to touch you? Pure hell.”

I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. My fingers toyed with the blond hair at the nape of his neck. I twisted the strands between my fingers and I could have sworn I felt Jax _purr_ beneath me.

“I missed you, too,” I whispered back. Jax chuckled and moved forward, capturing my lips. His tongue was hot and his lips were hard and slightly chapped. He bit into my bottom lip and placed two hands under thighs, hoisting me upwards until I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He managed to push my sweatshirt over my head, revealing my naked chest underneath and he groaned. He pressed a kiss to my collarbone before walking to his bathroom.

As I was all in my head, Jax took two steps toward me and placed his hands on my waist before dragging my shirt over my head. When his face became visible to me, I glared at him again.

“You do this a lot,” I said.

“What?” he smirked, pressing another kiss to my skin to distract me. I rolled my eyes.

“We were in the middle of an important conversation and you started to undress me.”

Jax shrugged. “I’m not hearing any complaints.”

“Jax, I’m serious.” I narrowed my eyes at him. This man was giving me whiplash.

“I know. But, I’m a man who’s had to sit in silence with his thoughts for two days. He would like to show his girl how much he missed her.”

I watched him silently. When I didn’t reply, he grinned softly and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “You can yell at me later,” he whispered, “But right now, I can’t ignore how wet you are.”

To emphasize his words, he pressed his core against mine and I gasped as the wetness in my panties became known to me.

He watched me carefully, letting me make the next move. He didn’t want to push me, but he was silently telling me what he wanted. I sighed and shrugged.

“Fuck it,” I muttered. “Let’s get on with it, then.”

Jax smirked, turning on the shower behind me. We took no time getting the rest of our clothes off and then we spent a few hours in his bathroom.

.

**Yay! I had fun writing in Cora’s PoV there at the start. I missed writing about her and Gage and they’re still as cute as they used to be uwu**


	39. 37

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

**Jax**

The sun was beating down on my back as I drove into the precinct lot. Nagata had sent me a text this morning, asking me to come in at some point today. My phone had been lying face up on my kitchen counter when I’d received the text, and Everly had been standing close by making herself an omelet.

It had been a close call but I had managed to swipe the device out of her eyesight before she caught wind of the text. She still didn’t know about my side deal with Nagata.

He and I hadn’t spoken since I’d yelled at him in that restaurant, so I was confused as to what he even wanted to see me about.

My leather cut was making my body overheated as I walked up to the reception. Once I swung open the door, I was greeted with mediocre air-conditioning but it was at least better than nothing. I adjusted my jacket before I sent a nod towards the woman behind the front desk. She smiled slyly at me in the way that I had come to associate with women who found me attractive.

I entertained her fantasies slightly and sent her a wink before I kept walking into the bullpen. After a cursory glance around, Ev wasn’t in here. She must have been on break or in the bathroom or something. Her dark friend with the braids was sitting at her desk with her head stuck in a book.

If I could sneak past her, then maybe Ev would never have to know that I was here. I could hear the _Mission Impossible_ theme song playing in my head as I ‘tip-toed’ past Everly’s friend. I didn’t actually tip-toe, I just walked past normally, but the image of me actually tip-toeing in my mind was enough to make me chuckle.

I headed for the interrogation room, where Nagata said he’d be waiting for me. When I opened the door and stuck my head inside, the pretentious FBI agent wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I frowned and looked around. A beat cop in a uniform was walking past me, holding a steaming mug of coffee.

“Hey,” I said, startling the guy slightly and making him freeze with a hiss as he spilt his drink on his front. Then he dropped his mug and I watched it smash on the floor. He closed his eyes and sighed in a way I could only describe as someone who had given up all hope in life. He turned to me with a sad smile.

“How can I help?” he asked, before he then gave me a once over. He tried to keep his smile tight but I could tell that after looking over me once, he was more tense than before, and was trying to understand what a dirty biker was doing snooping around the precinct.

“Have you seen Agent Nagata? He asked me to meet him here.”

The guy gave a short nod. “He’s got a makeshift office next to the bullpen. His name is written on a green sticky-note on the door.”

I chuckled, thanking the guy and watching as he walked away, muttering to himself about how he now had to clean up both himself and the hallway where he’d just spilt his coffee.

I walked back out to the bullpen, still checking for Everly. I didn’t know why I was being so secretive about all this when Everly was the secondary on her case. She _should_ know about how I was helping, but I just couldn’t see her being okay with that. She was paranoid about the case, and had a big enough grudge about accepting help from men that I didn’t need to wind her up any more than I already did.

I spotted a door with a green sticky-note on it and walked over, knocking twice before entering without waiting for an answer. Nagata scowled at me as I shut the door behind me and I shrugged.

He sighed. “Thanks for coming in,” he said. I nodded and took a seat in one of the spare chairs in the room.

We sat in awkward silence while Nagata studied the case file on his desk. I looked around the room. It looked like we were in a storage closet that had been half-emptied to satisfy the agent’s needs. His desk was just a corkboard propped up on two filing cabinets and the floor was disgusting.

The overhead light was kept flickering every few minutes and I wondered how the man could stay sane working in a room like this. I rolled my eyes, raising my brow slightly.

“So, are we just gonna sit here or are you gonna tell me what I’m doing here?” I asked impatiently. Nagata sighed and looked up from his file.

“Phillips has been moved,” he said. I shrugged.

“I already knew that. I told you that three days ago.”

Nagata sighed and nodded. “Yes, I know, and I had someone tracking Bailey and his men at their new place but it seems that Phillips escaped somehow.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “There’s no way,” I said, shaking my head. “These cartel guys are too diligent for that to happen…”

Nagata sighed, running a hand through his hair. “All I know is what I’ve been told from the person I had tracking him. He’s gone AWOL and he’ll be even harder to find this time than before, especially if he’s going to have the cartel on his tail.”

I frowned. “So, what do you want from me?”

Nagata ran a hand down his face. “You knew the kid better than most. I know you had the club intimidate that girl in Fort Pierce, and I want the same tactics used on every family member and ever close friend that this kid has. If he has no safety net, then he has to come out of the woodwork.”

I nodded. “Off the books?”

Nagata rolled his eyes. “Of course. I could get fired if my superiors found out about our deals.”

I grinned.

“Alright, well, consider it done.”

I moved to get out of my seat but the agent spoke up.

“You’ve kept up your end of the deal, right?” he clarified. I cocked my eyebrow, questioning what he meant. The man sighed.

“You haven’t told the detective?” he asked. I smirked, shaking my head. For now, Everly was none the wiser about my deal with Nagata, but I didn’t know how long that would last.

“No, but she’s smart. If we don’t figure this out in the next few days, she’ll be onto us.”

Nagata nodded and I took it as my cue to leave. I walked out of his office and – out of habit – looked over at Everly’s desk. To my surprise, she had made it into work and was giving me the most confused look I’d ever seen on her face.

Her eyes kept flicking back and forth between myself and the closed door of Nagata’s makeshift office. I sent her a sly wink, nodding my head at her once before I walked out of the precinct.

Now that she’d seen me, I knew she was going to ask questions. I was fucked.

.

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

My eyebrows furrowed and my jaw dropped slightly as I watched Jax walk out of the precinct. I flicked back to Nagata’s closed office door, trying to figure out just what exactly he and Jax could have been discussing so early in the morning.

He’d been acting weird this morning at his apartment, but I thought it was due to the fact that it was the first time in a while that we’d eaten breakfast together.

I still didn’t know how I felt about that particular fact. Jax and I were on weird terms at the moment and I didn’t know how to define it.

“Please tell me I’m not imagining things and that I did actually just see Jax walk through the precinct,” I said aloud. Imogen turned to give me a look, raising her eyebrow as she smirked.

She shrugged. “Maybe it’s just you, I didn’t see anything.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone from my pocket.

“You’re no help, you had your head stuck in a damn case file,” I muttered. Imogen laughed.

“Yeah, maybe ‘cause that’s my job. You should try it sometime.”

I waved her off with a ‘yeah-yeah-yeah’ and she chuckled. I opened my contacts and found Jax’s name sending him a quick ‘WTF’ text.

I watched as he viewed it, then began typing out a reply. My frustration as I was left sitting and watching those annoying three little dots jump up and down. My annoyance grew when he deleted his unsent text and didn’t end up actually replying. The damn asshole left me on read.

_For fucks sake._

“How’s it going with him anyway?” Imogen asked. I looked up from my phone.

“What?”

My friend grinned. “With Jax,” she clarified, “How’s it going with you two? You seem different now.”

I frowned. “Is that good or bad?”

Imogen rolled her eyes, smiling. “Definitely good, it’s just weird to see you chipper. In the years I’ve known you, you’ve been a mopey wreck and now you’re not so much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you this way, I just thought I’d ask.”

I rolled my eyes, shrugging. “Well, I don’t know. I mean, I guess we’re okay…?”

Imogen scoffed. “Bitch, if I was in a relationship with someone that fine, you know damn well I’d be more than just _okay_.”

My heart stopped a little and I froze at her words. “In a relationship…?” I echoed. Imogen paused, watching me, before realizing what she’d said and rolling her eyes.

“Oh my god. You’re clueless,” she laughed. I stared at her. She shook her head with a smile. “Babe, if a guy pledges to be exclusive with you ‘for health reasons’, then he’s your boyfriend and you’re in a relationship. A committed one, I might add.”

My jaw dropped slightly. Imogen laughed.

“We’re not… I mean, I’m not… He’s not my…” I couldn’t even say the words. I couldn’t wrap my head around them. _Was_ Jax my boyfriend? I hadn’t broken up with Mikey all that long ago; how could I already be in a new relationship?

I frowned as Imogen shook her head at me, chuckling.

“You know what,” I said, “I’ll settle it and I’ll just ask.”

Imogen rolled her eyes as she watched me pull my phone back out. I dialed Jax’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“This better not be about seeing me at the precinct,” was the first thing he said when he answered. I shook my head though I knew he couldn’t see me.

“I’m trying to settle something with Imogen,” I said.

Jax was silent as he waited for me to continue. I sighed, biting my lip.

“Jax… are we dating?” I asked, my voice weirdly pitched. I heard a chuckle on the other end of the line.

“That’s what you’re asking me? Seriously?”

I rolled my eyes. “Just answer the question.” Truthfully, I didn’t know if I was ready for the answer. After all the times that I’d pushed him away out of fear of this exact question, I didn’t know that I was ready to hear what he had to say.

“We’re too old for this fuck buddy shit, babe,” he said, after a small pause. “How many times do I have to fuck you to prove that to you?”

I frowned. “You didn’t really answer my question…”

Jax sighed over the phone. “Really, alright fine. I’d rather have this conversation in person but whatever. I thought I spelt it out clear as day for you at the clubhouse. You’re mine. I’m yours. Nothing else to say about it.”

I bit my lip, fighting the small smile threatening to spill from my lips at his words. I could feel the beginning of a blush blooming on the apples of my cheeks.

“Really?” I asked, my voice small.

Jax chuckled down the line. “I’ll prove it to you,” he said, then hung up before I could reply. I pulled the cell away from my ear and looked up at Imogen with a gobsmacked expression on my face.

My friend rolled her eyes with a chuckled and turned back to her case files.

“Only _you_ would ask over the phone if you were dating someone,” she laughed to herself. My eyebrows rose as I realized the extent of that conversation.

“Holy shit,” I whispered to myself. Imogen laughed and watched as I fell backwards in my chair slightly. I needed time to process this new information because my head was cloudy and my stomach was clenched.

_How did I get here?_ This is what I’d been trying to avoid this whole time. _For someone so adamant about the fact that they didn’t want this, you sure feel happy with yourself right now,_ I said to myself. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

I didn’t know how I was supposed to focus on any of my work for the rest of the day, and sure enough, it went by in a daze. I didn’t even register where I was until I was driving into Jax’s car lot later that night.

I went into his office and walked up the stairs to his apartment. I went through to his bedroom and pushed the door open. My eyes bugged out when they fell on the scene before me.

“Oh my god! What the fuck are you doing?” I laughed. I was surprised to see him lying in a seductive position on his bed, completely nude. Jax grinned at me, jumping off the bed and walking towards me. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him as he moved.

“Saw it in a tv show once and thought I’d try it out,” he shrugged as he came to stand in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “And… what was the goal here?”

Jax smirked, his hands coming to my waist before dipping into the back of my jeans to cup my ass. “Why don’t you take off _your_ clothes and I’ll show you, _girlfriend_ …”

I rolled my eyes, chuckling. I put two hands on his chest and pushed him away. He chuckled, grinning as he stepped backwards until he was sitting on his bed.

“You think you’re so _slick_ ,” I said, unbuttoning my jeans and pushing down the zipper, ignoring the flush of emotion that coursed through my body at his words. Jax grinned at me and then I pulled my shirt over my head. I stepped forward until I was resting between his open legs.

“Actually, I didn’t think it would work at all,” he laughed, eyeing my naked chest as I stepped out of my jeans. His hands reached out to the flimsy strap of my panties. My palms came up to cup his jawline as I leaned into him.

“Bullshit.”

Jax grinned up at me as his fingers stroked the soft skin beneath my lingerie. I shuddered in his hands as he slowly pulled the garment down my legs. I kicked them off as Jax scooted backwards and I stepped over his legs to straddle him.

He reached his face up and kissed my lips. I sighed into it and wrapped my arms around his neck. My core clenched in anticipation as I felt him beneath me. This man was made of muscle and not much else.

I couldn’t figure out what he tasted like, but he smelt clean, like he’d freshly showered. I melted into him as his arms came around me. His skin was warm to the touch and I ran my fingers through his hair as my lips devoured his.

He let out a deep moan underneath me and I shivered. My hands ghosted down to my core and I pulled away from Jax, sitting up slightly on his lower half. I kept eye contact with him as I pushed two fingers inside myself. I watched as his chest rose and fall as he watched me.

My fingers coasted in and out of myself and my eyes fluttered closed. After a few minutes of letting me go to town on myself, I felt his hand come to mine and pull it softly away from my body. My fingers were quickly replaced with his own larger ones. I moaned as he sunk deep inside me.

I rocked back and forth on his hand and ground myself against his palm. His other hand was on my waist, guiding my movements. I placed my hands on his chest for leverage as my back arched. Then he began to sit up slightly. He pulled his hand from me and I felt a small amount of wetness gush out at his departure.

My lips fell open in a small gasp and Jax used the opportunity to gently thrust his fingers into my mouth. I moaned as I sucked on his digits, tasting my own arousal. When his fingers retreated, he pressed his tongue to mine, wanting a taste.

His chest rumbled in appreciated and I moved back down to my core to guide him inside me. We both moaned when he slid home slowly. I gasped when he stayed seated inside me for a moment but his cock gave a kick as his hips begged to thrust.

I grasped onto his shoulders to hold him close and he kept his hands on my ass, grinding me against him and moving me in time with his thrusts. He pulled out slowly, and pushed in fast. Like he was teasing me and punishing me all at once.

My nipples were hard as they dragged across his chest and I sighed into him. My lips came down onto his shoulder and I bit into the skin slightly to stop myself from screaming. He was so hard and so long inside me that it was driving me as crazy as every other time.

His words from on the phone were running through my mind with every thrust. _You’re mine, I’m yours. How many times do I have to fuck you to prove that to you?_

“Evie,” he whispered, “Look at me.”

I pulled away from his shoulder to look into his eyes. The green was vibrant and the brown was so deep I felt like I could drown in it.

_“I want to watch my girlfriend as she comes apart…”_

My jaw dropped and then he picked up the pace. He rolled us over so that I was beneath him and he used the new leverage to thrust harder inside me. I gasped, moaning his name breathlessly as he tortured my body into submission.

As my stomach began to clench, my eyes fell closed out of habit. Jax reached up and pinched my nipple, making my eyes dart open with a gasp.

“Hey, eyes on me, baby,” he grinned, chuckling. My back arched upwards towards him as he began to hit _that_ spot inside me. His thumb came down to my clit and applied some bruising force. My breathing became pitchy in that pornstar kind of way and Jax stared at me, making my skin feel hot all over.

My hands clenched in the sheet and my toes curled as I felt myself begin to tip over the edge.

“Jay, _shit, fuck_ ,” I whispered desperately, one leg coming up to wrap around his waist. He placed his hand on my leg, keeping me there for the new angle.

“Just watch me, baby,” he said, and I struggled to keep my eyes with his. He sped up and slowed down, in tune with the ebb and flow of my body as I rose to my high. I came crashing down with a scream of his name.

Jax came with a curse and I felt him spurt inside me as his climax joined mine. His pace didn’t slow but I managed to keep my eyes locked with his. It was an amazing sight to watch him overcome with pleasure. I was sure that my eyes almost crossed as I tried to concentrate on him, but it was almost as if I could see the burst of pleasure behind his irises.

I gasped as he triggered a second, smaller orgasm inside me. I rode him into oblivion and his lips came down on mine as he slowed. His tongue made love to mine and I moaned into him.

We kept joined at the lip as we detached at the hip and I felt him put his full weight on top of me. For some reason, I loved the feeling. It made him feel real to me, like the fireworks erupting in my body weren’t just a figment of my imagination.

They were because of him and they were for him. My orgasm was his, it had always been his, just like I had always been his.

He was right. I was his, but he was also mine, and I owned every square inch of his skin as he did mine. My lungs burned as they begged me to come up for air and when I did, I looked into Jax’s eyes.

I stroked the side of his jaw as I tried to catch my breath.

“I’ve never done that before,” I whispered. “I mean… it’s never _felt_ like that…”

Then Jax did something that shocked me. He smiled. He didn’t smirk or grin, he gave me a real smile, which was something I hadn’t seen from him since highschool. It was crooked and it made his eyes spark and it was beautiful.

He was beautiful.

I felt a tear in my eye and Jax pressed a kiss to my lid, tasting the salt. He pressed his lips to mine as I cupped his jaw. He tasted sweet and salty at the same time.

“Thankyou,… _boyfriend_ ,” I whispered when we pulled away. Jax smiled with his eyes at the words and pecked my lips once more.

“Fuck, that feels so good to hear,” he chuckled. “Been trying to get you to admit what we are for weeks now, no years, actually.”

I rolled my eyes.

“But, better late than never, I suppose,” he sighed with a grin before pulling me close and kissing me deeply once more. I could feel him beginning to grow again against my thigh and I chuckled into our kiss.

“So, how did you know that whole naked thing would work?” I giggled. Jax smirked at me, waving at his body.

“Knew you couldn’t resist this sexy piece of ass.”

I laughed and slapped his naked cheek with my hand, making him hiss and bite my bottom lip. I laughed into our kiss. We stayed like that for a while, just happy in each other’s company before we started round two.

It felt weird to call him my boyfriend – or at least, finally admit that that’s what he was. I’d spent so long denying it that I was kicking myself.

But it felt right, and I was more frustrated with myself that I hadn’t been able to see it before now.

.

**My god it took her long enough to admit that shit.**


	40. 38

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT**

**Everly**

The precinct was a scene of chaos when I rushed in at midnight. I’d received an urgent call from Imogen that shit was going down and they needed me. I’d damn near sprinted out of Jax’s apartment to come in.

All the lights were on, Chief Wells was yelling every which way and I could see the veins in his neck and forehead protruding at an unhealthy level. Imogen was answering phonecalls left and right, and Nagata was sprouting orders.

I managed to snag the Kevlar vest of a beat cop as he ran past.

“Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?” I asked, exasperated. I looked down at his attire for a closer look, only now wondering why this kid was wearing bulletproof protection.

The guy didn’t have time to answer me as Nagata yelled my name.

“Shimura!” I stalked over to him.

“What the hell is happening?” I demanded when I was close enough. Nagata ran a hand through his hair with a harsh sigh.

“Go and get yourself dressed in gear ASAP. We had a call ten minutes ago that Amy Ventura’s WITSEC house was shot up. First responders are on the scene but we need to be there literally now.”

My jaw dropped to the floor and he walked away barking more orders before I could ask questions. _Shit_. This was happening. _How the fuck did this happen? How did someone find out where Amy was. Shit._ I’d been so preoccupied with all of Jax’s problems for the last week that I hadn’t checked in with my own case.

I was the worst fucking cop in the entire world.

I didn’t have time to self-deprecate. I ran to the equipment room, which was teeming with uniformed cops. I pushed my way through to my locker, pulled on a vest, grabbed my helmet and goggles, and my equipment belt. My jeans and sneakers would have to do for today.

I hurriedly pulled shit on, adjusting my belt so that my pistol, flashlight and taser were at my waist. I pulled a few extra clips and mags from a bucket at the door and shoved them into the pockets of my jacket, which I shrugged on over my vest. Then I was out the door.

In the bullpen, Imogen was waving officers through the door and my heart was already racing. She was fully geared up, and she pressed her lips together grimly when she saw me. She waved me through and I made it out the lot, piling into the back of a van.

Imogen was the last one in, and the van lurched forward before she even had the time to shut the door properly. Nagata was at the head of the van, giving us all grim looks.

“This is an active shooter situation. The nine-one-one call was made exactly thirteen minutes ago and first responders are already on the scene. They have yet to report a body count or hostages, so everyone needs to be on their A-Game. Amy Ventura was the civilian in protection, and she had four handlers with her, two police, and two FBI agents,” Nagata said, laying us out on the full situation.

“I want McGhee and Sanders to secure the back of the property. Leeds and Gregor are to be the first inside the property, and you’ll take the downstairs. Shimura and I will secure the upper floor. Am I understood?” Nagata questioned. There was a hum of response from the team in the back of the van as Nagata locked eyes with each one of us.

I was last, and he seemed to hang on me for a moment longer than everyone else.

When we arrived at the property, I pulled out my gun, holding it ready in my hand. I had my two-way radio strapped to my belt, so I picked up my flashlight to hold it in my other hand.

We piled out of the van and I looked up at the property. The place was smoking and the fire department were standing around like they’d just finished putting out a flame.

“Status report,” I demanded from one of them. He turned and gave me a harsh look, he was probably a foot taller than me. I rolled my eyes, I didn’t have time for his patronizing glance my way.

“There was a small fire in the kitchen. Looked like someone had left the stove on with the plans to blow the place up. We put it out before the damage could spread past that one room.”

I nodded. “Is it safe to enter?”

The man nodded and I walked past him, towards the house. I could see McGhee and Sanders walking around to the back of the property. Imogen and Gregor were walking up to the front and I huffed when Imogen got to kick the door in. That was always one of my favorite parts.

Nagata and I were close behind. My flashlight was on and my gun was held steady.

“Clear!” I heard someone shout from downstairs, so Nagata and I began ascending the staircase. I tried to breathe evenly, trying to avoid the small amount of smoke that was filtering around the house.

It was quiet upstairs. Nagata motioned that I take the left while he took the right.

I nodded and moved a few paces over. I kicked in the door to the first room, finding that it was a bathroom.

“Clear,” I yelled, before backing out. The next room was a bedroom. I heard Nagata yell another affirmation from his end of the house. The room I was in looked like it might have been Amy’s, but she was nowhere to be seen. I would come back to it when we were finished clearing the place out.

“Clear!” I moved onto my final room, another bedroom. I moved around the room. The closets were thrown open and shit was spewing onto the floor. The bed sheets were thrown hastily apart. I grimaced when I saw the first body. I didn’t recognize her, but she was laying face down on the floor, I could see where the bullet had hit her square in the back of the head.

I moved around to the other side of the bed, gasping when I saw the next body. She was reaching upwards for me. I fell to my knees, moving to cradle her. She was sitting propped up against the bed as she pressed a hand to her midsection.

“Medic!” I yelled. “Get someone in here!” The woman’s breathing was ragged and I moved to help cradle her. There was blood seeping between the cracks of her fingers and I grimaced.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said. The woman shook her head meekly.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I pried. She grimaced.

“Three shooters, all huge. Matthew and Harrison were downstairs and we heard yelling and then they shot Maisie in the head. They said they would let me live long enough to send a message,” the woman managed to get out.

I grimaced. “Did you see any of their faces?”

She shook her head. “They took the kid and left this.” She moved her other hand out and passed me a sheet of paper. It was written in Spanish.

“Can you read this?” I asked desperately. The woman’s eyebrows furrowed but she managed to nod.

“It says, ‘ _Taking back what’s mine, and burning the rest to the ground’_.”

I frowned. “Do they mean the fire in the kitchen? The first responders put that out…”

The woman shook her head as a ragged breath pushed through her lips. I could see that she was beginning to cry.

“One of them–” she cut herself off by hacking up a ton of blood. I gasped and tried to wipe it away, to do anything to help her. _Where the fuck was the medic?!_

“One of them said there was a bomb,” she rasped. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “In Amy’s room.”

Then I watched as the light drained from her eyes. I grimaced, in a hurry now. I pushed the note into the pocket of my jacket, hurriedly lay the lifeless woman down and closed her eyes.

Then I sprinted from the room and into Amy’s bedroom. As I was tearing the place apart, Nagata appeared in the doorway.

“What the hell are you doing!” he yelled.

“There’s a fucking bomb in here!”

Nagata cursed and helped me ransack the room. I searched under the bed and in drawers. Nagata pulled open the wardrobe door and let out a loud curse.

“Shit, Everly it’s here and it’s about to blow we have to get the fuck out of here!”

I couldn’t register anything as Nagata grabbed me by the arm and began hauling me out of the room. I was tripping over my own feet as we both managed to yell out a series of ‘ _bomb!’_ , ‘ _get the fuck out!_ ’, and ‘ _there’s a fucking bomb!_ ’

Nagata hauled me out the front door and we fell onto the grass, before getting up and running to the other side of the street, which had neighbors spewing out by now. The hordes of officers and fire department and witness surrounding the scene were insane and there was no way we were far enough away.

Then, it was like time slowed down. I watched as the last of our officers scrambled from the doomed residence and then I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. It was like something out of a movie and it was deafening.

We should have been much further away but I guess you work with what you’ve got.

Glass broke and windows smashed to the ground, wood splintered and concrete cracked with a sounding ‘boom’ as the whole place caught fire in a matter of seconds. There were terrified screams from witnesses and neighbors on our side of the street. The houses on both sides of the WITSEC property caught fire as the bomb subsided.

A heavy plume of smoke and chemicals rose into the air and my mouth dropped. The fire brigade snapped into action to hose down the two other affected houses. Residents ran from their homes, coughing and spluttering into the arms of ambulance officers.

Imogen was consoling a mother and daughter as the child cried.

I turned to Nagata. “There was a woman in there, she was alive. She was the one who told me about the bomb,” I said desperately, wringing my hands through my hair and trying to make sense of what the fuck had just happened.

Nagata gripped my arm.

“What else did she say?” he demanded. “What the hell happened in there?!” He began shaking me and I tried to gasp for air.

“Shit,” Nagata muttered and called over a medic, who wrapped me in a blanket and tried to get me to drink water. Nagata sat me on the curb and waited for me to cam down. When my breathing had calmed somewhat, I pulled the note the woman had given me, from my pocket. I handed it over to Nagata.

“She said three huge guys came in, shot the two men first, then shot the first woman in the back of the head. She was shot in the midsection and they said they left her to send a message, or more accurately, give us one. It says–”

“Taking back what’s mine, and burning the rest to the ground,” Nagata translated. I nodded.

“Then she said they took Amy and planted the bomb in her room. This shit was planned. It wasn’t some random shootout and that girl is in real trouble. This is all my fault,” I said, my throat tight as I thought about that woman’s family. I felt horrible that I hadn’t been able to do anything to help her.

“This is _not_ your fault, Shimura,” Nagata said, shaking his head. I grimaced.

“But it is. I dropped the ball on this case and I should have seen it coming…”

Nagata shook his head. “If anyone is to blame, then it’s the primary on the case, which is me, because I dropped the ball as much as you. Besides, I should have seen this coming…”

I frowned, looking up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? What do you know that I don’t know?”

Nagata grimaced, shaking his head. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Does this have something to do with why Jax was at the station yesterday?” I accused. Nagata sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Look, this isn’t the time or place. I’ll fill you in on everything when we’re back at the precinct. Right now, you’re in shock and need to be cared for,” he said, waving over a medic.

When the officer came over, Nagata stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Take care of her, she needs a moment to calm down.”

The man nodded and began tending to me, despite my many attempts to tell him I felt fine. My eyes narrowed at the special agent as he walked away from me, clutching the note I’d given him, in his hand.

There was something going on here that no one had bothered to fill me in on and I wasn’t happy. What the hell could those three guys mean by ‘taking back what’s mine,’ and what the hell were Jax and Nagata keeping from me.

I was going to find out even if it killed me.

.

**Shit’s blowing up… literally.**

**Theories on who took Needles?**


	41. 39

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE**

**Everly**

The mood was grim when we made it back to the precinct. I had been cleared for medical attention and had been looking to confront Nagata since being at the bomb site, but he had gone and hidden somewhere. Wells was waiting for us when we all walked in the door.

He gathered us in the briefing room. Nagata was standing at the back wall when I walked in and he wouldn’t meet my eyes. I took a seat beside Imogen with a glare. She had a grimace on her face and she was covered in soot and ash. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet.

“Heard you found someone alive,” she whispered to me. I sighed, nodding solemnly.

“Not for long, though. What about you?” I whispered back. I glanced at her to see a tear in her eye before she focused on her hands.

“I found the two male officers. Shot in the chest and head, both of them.”

I nodded and then we turned back to Wells. He gave all of us a harsh glare.

“Here is the rundown on tonight’s operation. A neighbor called at 11.56pm to tell us that they heard shots fired at the location. First responders including officers on duty in the area, and the fire department, arrived at the scene at 12.02am. At the time, no one could enter the building as it was on fire.

“The fire was put out by 12.05am. Armed officers arrived on the scene at 12.10am and searched the property. McGhee and Sanders found no one behind the property. Leeds and Gregor searched the bottom floor, Detective Leeds uncovered two male handlers shot in the heads and chests.

“Nagata and Shimura searched the top floor, Shimura uncovered two female handlers, one of whom was still alive upon entry. The first female handler was shot in the back of the head, the second in the midsection, but she was still alive and coherent enough to relay information to Detective Shimura.

“The handler was able to tell us there were three shooters, and that they kidnapped the girl in protection. It is believed that she was their main target and that our handlers were collateral damage. The girl is to be presumed alive until proved otherwise.

“The handler was also able to deliver a message for the shooters, and tell Detective Shimura of an explosive present in the property, allowing ample time to evacuate before it ignited. Unfortunately, the handler passed before more information could be divulged. She will be remembered as a hero who saved many lives tonight,” Wells said.

A small tear tracked down my face and then Nagata took over.

“Detective Shimura and I uncovered the explosive inside the bedroom of our witness and we proceeded to evacuate all able bodies before the explosive could ignite. Shimura is a hero of tonight and her intelligence should not be undermined,” he said. I looked up to narrow my eyes at the special agent. He was hiding something and I would get it out of him before the sun rose this morning. He wasn’t getting away from me that easy.

“As it stands, we don’t know the identities of the kidnappers, and the note that they left has been given to linguistics to be analysed. We will inform you all of where this case will head next when we know more,” Wells said. “All those not in active duty tonight must report to medics to be cleared before being sent home. Dismissed.”

Imogen’s hand came down on my shoulder as the officers around me began to stand and walk from the room. I eyed Nagata, who was trying to slip out with the crowd. I pulled Imogen’s hand from my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before I too, ran from the room.

I watched Nagata retreat into his ‘office’, and managed to barge through the door before he could lock it.

He glared at me and I glared back.

“Alright, spill it.”

Nagata raised an eyebrow at me. “I have nothing to hide.”

I rolled my eyes. “Bullshit. You’ve been keeping me distant from this case from the damn second you got here. You made me the secondary and I deserve to know whatever it is that you’re hiding, especially if it’s going to help get Amy back. So stop being a fucking asshole and tell me what you fucking know,” I seethed.

Nagata sighed and sunk into his chair. He motioned for me to take a seat and I did. We stared each other down like a bull stares down a matador waving a red flag. I was two seconds away from blowing up at him.

Then he opened his mouth and told me everything. Everything about how he’d gotten Jax involved, _found_ Scotty and then let him _get away_ not once, but _twice_. I was livid. I hated that Jax had been involved and hidden all this shit from me. I was frustrated that I hadn’t figured it out for myself.

I knew that he’d been shady with me about this and I had ignored it all in my quest for good dick. Then he’d distracted me with all that relationship crap and I’d been too blind to see the true details.

 _This was fucking why_. This was why I broke up with Jax all those years ago. He hid stuff from me because he thought I couldn’t handle it. He hid things and then made me go crazy, and here he was doing it again.

How was I supposed to be okay with any of that?

I was fuming and I got up from my chair silently. Nagata was glaring at me and I’d said nothing after he’d spilled his guts. I needed a moment. I needed to be able to figure this shit out.

I had deserved to know that they had found Scotty so damn easily after I had tried for months. I felt so inadequate in my ability as a detective that it was laughable. Maybe Paul and Reynolds from Lorida were right about me. Maybe I really had no business in this industry.

And that would mean that my parents were right, too.

_Fucking hell, how could they both keep this shit from me? How could they not trust me with any of this crap?_

“I need a minute,” I muttered in Nagata’s direction before I stormed from the room. I slammed the door behind me and ran a hand through my hair. When I looked over at my desk, Jax was sitting in my chair and playing on his phone. A scowl fell over my features.

I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want anything to do with him right now. I needed time to process everything. I also just wanted to sit in my chair and vent to Imogen, but now I couldn’t because he was fucking sitting there.

I had no escape.

I could go home, but I wanted to stay here and try and work on this damn case. My mind was so fucking frazzled and I just needed a moment to myself.

Of course, nothing ever goes my way, and before I could make a decision, a kid with a crop of angry red hair came bursting through the doors of the precinct.

_“Somebody help me! Someone help! She’s been taken! They took her!”_

My eyes widened as I realized who the thin, scraggly person in the middle of the precinct was. It was Angus Phillips. The guy who I had been chasing for months was suddenly just in the middle of the precinct, ripe for the taking.

I stood in shock and watched as the kid got violent, throwing a printer off someone’s desk before an officer tackled him to the ground. I quickly went up to the two of them as the officer pulled Scotty to his feet and started yanking him towards the holding cells.

_“No! Someone listen! They took her! They fucking took her and they’re gonna come after me next!”_

The kid was screaming up a storm and I looked around the precinct. Everyone was on their feet, including Jax. Wells had come out of his office to see what the commotion was and he had a glare on his face. Nagata had also come from his office and his eyebrows were raised so high I thought they’d become part of his hairline.

“Somebody, get that kid in a cell and calmed down!” Wells yelled.

“No!” I said. Wells gave me the stink eye for disobeying his order. Nagata sent me a pleading look, to which I scowled at him for. I was determined to get this shit over with. “I know this kid. Take him to interrogation. I want to talk to him.”

The officer holding him back from screeching was giving me a look like I was out of my mind.

“Are you crazy? Whatever this kid is on, it’s dangerous. He needs to be restrained,” he tried to reason with me. I rolled my eyes and waved him off.

“Then cuff his hands and feet, I don’t care. This is fucking happening.”

Then I stormed off towards the interrogation room. Jax tried to reach for my arm as I passed him but I yanked my arm from his grip.

“ _Don’t_ ,” I said. My voice dripping with venom. “I don’t even know why you’re here.” Jax frowned, giving me an odd look but I shook my head and stalked away. He didn’t know that I knew what he had done, and how he’d kept it from me, but I didn’t have the patience to have that argument with him right now.

My hands were balled into fists as I made myself known in the interrogation room. Scotty was secured at the table, hands and feet cuffed. He was pulling at his restraints like a caged animal, so I kept my distance.

The arresting officer gave me a look like I was crazy before whistling once and walking out of the room, leaving me alone with the kid. I could finally get a good look at him.

His face was sunken and his cheeks sallow. His skin was pale and his face was covered in splotches of half recovered bruises. His face was a rainbow roadmap of gruesome torture. Paired with his fiery red hair, he looked like a living nightmare.

His eyes were bloodshot and he was sweating profusely. The bridge of his nose was broken. My eyes widened when I realized that the kid was high.

He looked worse off than if it was just cocaine. He looked like he had been taking heroin. His breathing was shallow and his pupils were tiny. There were already bruises forming around his wrists where he yanked at the handcuffs.

His skin was papery and he looked way too thin to be functional let alone healthy. I frowned and kept my distance.

“I know who you are,” he said, his voice shaky and his words slurring slightly. I nodded.

“You’re the cop who was after me and Benji,” he continued. I nodded again.

“Angus, I need you to tell me everything. We know Amy was taken and I need to know what you know about it,” I said, my voice calm, despite the raging war in my head.

The kid started shaking at my words and I took a step back. He his breaths were shallow and quick, so fast that I was worried he’d start hyperventilating.

“We were supposed to meet up, but she wasn’t there,” he said. “ _She wasn’t there_!”

I frowned. “Wasn’t where, Angus? Tell me and I can help you–”

“ _No, you can’t!”_ he yelled. “She’s gone and you pussies can’t do jack fucking _shit_!”

He tried to stand and banged his fists on the table when he found he couldn’t move because of his restraints. His fingers were picking at his nails to the point that he became a little bloody. I sighed.

“Look. You need to tell me everything, right now,” I said sternly, “Otherwise, Amy is as good as dead.”

Scotty started crying at the words, cradling his head to stop it from shaking. He let out a scream of despair and I pursed my lips. I wasn’t sure he was going to give me anything but this was the best I had.

“They had me,” he said. “They had me first and I got out and they got pissed, so they went after her. She was supposed to get out and meet me at our spot but she never came. They got her before she could get away.” His voice was meek as he whimpered. I sighed.

“Angus, you have to be a little more specific. Who had you? Who took Amy?”

I already knew, but I needed to hear him say it so that I could be sure.

“THE CARTEL!” he screamed. I nodded.

“The Cartel, okay,” I said. “Tell me more, Angus.”

He sighed, wringing his hands together.

“I can’t-I can’t-I can’t-They’ll kill me and they’ll kill her and they’ll kill everyone. They had a bomb,” he spluttered. I nodded.

“We know they had a bomb, Angus. It detonated in the house we were keeping Amy,” I said carefully. Angus lifted his head, his eyes wide with shock and brimming with tears.

“What?! She’s dead?”

I sighed, cursing myself for not being clearer. “No, Amy wasn’t in the house. She was gone long before we arrived on the scene. The house blew up with her four handlers inside.”

Scotty cursed to himself and began rocking back and forth. I sighed, biting my lip.

“Angus, I need to know what they did to you. I need to know what’s happening so I can help Amy.”

The boy shook his head, over and over like it was calming for him.

“You can’t help. They’ve taken her and you’ll never get her back. The boss won’t let her go.”

I frowned. “Who’s the boss, Angus?”

He shook his head, whimpering. “They always said I talk too much,” he shivered. “That’s why they shot me up every day. They made me crave this shit. They got me hooked so I’d never leave and then I did and I almost died doing it. And now they’re gonna kill her, too.”

I frowned. “Wait, Angus. Are you saying the cartel did _this_ to you,” I said, motioning towards his obvious drug addiction. The boy nodded, his lips blue and trembling.

I shook my head. “Unbelievable,” I muttered. They’d gotten a kid hooked on hardcore drugs and let him escape to die somewhere in the streets without a fix. This is was inexcusable.

“Angus, I need you to tell me. Do you know where they would go or where they would take Amy? Do you know where they might be now?”

The boy shook his head, crying as he rocked back and forth in the seat.

“The mother land,” he said.

I frowned. _Was that a euphemism or a real place?_

“They always talked about it,” he said. “They’d talk about how they just wanted to go back to the mother land and how she would treat them so nice if they got Amy to come back with them. They said she’d give them a big reward.”

“She, who?” I asked. Scotty shook his head and I sighed. I was getting nowhere.

“Where is the mother land?” I asked.

Scotty looked up from the desk with a sad expression. “Why bother. You’ll never get there…”

I grit my teeth. “Angus, work with me here,” I pleaded. I watched a tear roll down his eyes.

“She knows you have no jurisdiction there, there’s no point going.”

“ _Angus_ ,” I pleaded again, my voice desperate.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. His eyes focused dead on mine.

“She’ll blow you sky high if she sees you coming.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “She has more explosives?” I asked.

He nodded. “She built a business on it.”

I sighed, running a hand over my forehead. “Alright. Just tell me where they took Amy,” I said.

Angus cried and stared at me. “ _Mexico_ ,” he said, before he threw up on himself.

My jaw dropped as my mind whirred and everything clicked into place. For a moment, I was ahead of the game.

I knew how to get Amy home.

.

**I’m curious to know if anyone else has figured it out…**


	42. 40

**CHAPTER FORTY**

**Everly**

I stormed from the interrogation room, telling a random cop over my shoulder to get Scotty cleaned up and taken to a hospital to detox. I stalked through the bullpen and into Wells’ office. Nagata was already inside when I got there.

Jax was nowhere to be seen as I went through the precinct like a hurricane in a bottle, or a bull in a china shop.

“Mexico,” I said to the two men. They gave me twin looks of confusion and I rolled my eyes. “That’s where they took the girl, and of course, we’re idiots for not putting two and two together earlier. We didn’t need linguistics to go over that note that was written in bloody _Spanish_ from the guys in a _Mexican Cartel_. Like seriously, we’re the worst detectives in the world that we couldn’t figure this shit out.”

Nagata sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“The kid confessed?” he asked. I nodded, placing my hands on my hips.

“I’m surprised you weren’t listening behind the glass?” I said. “This case was as much yours as it was mine…”

Nagata shrugged. “I knew you could handle it.”

“So, you’re both taking the word of an escaped criminal drug abuser?” Wells clarified. I turned to him and frowned.

“Sir, it’s the conclusion that makes the most sense. Phillips said that the guys who held him talked about going to their ‘motherland’,” I said. Wells shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m not wasting department resources on this, Shimura. A sting in Mexico would cost us thousands, especially if you’re wrong. There isn’t enough evidence to support this,” he said.

I scoffed at the chief.

“But, _Sir_ –”

He held his hand up to silence me. “We will wait on linguistics and go from there.”

I shook my head. “Sir, I’m telling you, I know I’m right. Phillips overheard these guys talking about the bomb, isn’t that proof enough that he’s telling the truth?”

“I said I don’t want to hear another word, Shimura. I suggest you shut your mouth before I remove you from this case,” Wells griped. “Now, the both of you, get out of my office.”

I scoffed, scowling as I piled out of the room. Nagata was on my heels and I turned on him angrily.

“Thanks so much for the backup in there,” I snarled. Nagata glared at me.

“He’s right. All we have is speculation. Plus, Phillips never gave you a distinct location. Mexico is huge and we can’t afford to waste resources on a trip down there when we don’t even know where they’re going,” he said, crossing his arms.

His words sparked an idea in my head but I kept it to myself.

“But, you _know_ I’m right,” I said, pointing at him. “I have a killer gut instinct and right now I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life that that boy is telling the truth.”

Nagata eyed the finger that I’d put on his chest. He sighed as I dropped my hand. He watched me carefully for a moment while I glared at him.

“Fine,” he said. “We’ll go back into that damn interrogation room and see if we can get an exact location out of the kid. If we can, I will _consider_ entertaining your motion to go down there, despite the fact that we would have no jurisdiction.”

I nodded.

“Thankyou,” I said. Nagata rolled his eyes, waving me off as he walked in the direction of the interrogation room. When he realized I wasn’t following him, he turned and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Coming?”

I shook my head. “I have another idea about where to get a lock on Ventura’s location. I’m going to follow up on it right now and I’ll text you if it falls through. Keep me updated on what Phillips says?” I asked. Nagata frowned at me but nodded.

I moved from the precinct, walking outside to my car. The officers who worked the day shift were just beginning to arrive. That meant that it was around nine in the morning as I pulled out of the lot. I drove straight for the clubhouse.

I recognized the prospects at the gate when I arrived, and they waved me through. I was glad I didn’t have to argue with them this early in the morning, especially after the night I’d just had. Jax’s bike was in the drive when I pulled up.

I scowled and launched from the car, storming up the front steps of the porch. When I walked inside, it was much less crowded than I was used to, even though it was mid morning.

I looked around and spotted Luna in the kitchen, eating a slice of cold pizza as she sat on a bar stool and scrolled through her phone. She looked up when she heard me come in. She gave me a confused half-frown half-smile and got up from her seat.

“Everly? What’s going on, why are you here?” she asked, saddling me into an awkward one-armed hug due to our drastic height difference.

“I don’t really have time to chat. I need to talk to Jax and Talon, it’s really urgent.”

Luna frowned.

“Oh. Well, all the guys are at church, so you might have to wait for them to finish…”

I rose an eyebrow. “Church? I saw Jax’s bike outside.”

Luna rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

“Sorry, I forget who knows what when it comes to lingo. Church as in a club meeting,” she said, pointing to two giant wooden doors on the wall nearby. I steeled my gaze and began walking over.

“Oh, Ev, you can’t go in. Only members can be present in a meeting, that’s why I’m out here,” she tried. I ignored her and instead pushed the door open with a glare. I was met with thirty pairs of eyes staring at me.

“What the fuck, bitch?” one older man who stood close to the door, said. I rolled my eyes and shoved my way inside to lock eyes with Jax and his president.

Jax frowned when he saw me.

“Ev, what are you doing?” I heard Cora voice. I looked around and saw her sitting at one head of the table. I sighed and looked up at Cora’s brother. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

“Normally, I would respect your clubs tradition with secrecy of meetings and whatnot, but this particular thing is very time sensitive,” I said, eyeing down the powerful man at the head of the table.

He didn’t say anything for a few moments, instead just stared me down. I knew how these guys operated. I kept my gaze on his to show him that I wasn’t backing down. This shit was too important.

“Get out,” he finally voiced, still looking at me. I didn’t move, and neither did anyone else in the room. Everyone was eerily silent as they watched our exchange.

“I said get out,” Lucas Knight said carefully, his voice low as he dropped my gaze and instead looked pointedly at his club members who were standing. I could feel the shocked vibe running through the men in the room before they obeyed their president’s wishes and vacated the room.

The only people who stayed were myself, Lucas, Cora, Jax, and Cora’s boyfriend. Cora left her seat to shut the door behind the last member out of the room. I didn’t say anything, just stared at Lucas.

“Do you know how this makes me look?” he asked me, his voice stern. I sighed. Why did I all of a sudden feel like a kid who’d been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar?

I nodded. “I won’t apologise. This is urgent.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes at me as he leant back in his seat. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. I could see Jax shifting in my peripheral vision. Then Lucas, spread an arm towards me with an open palm, a gesture for me to elaborate on my reason for barging in.

“I know you know about the bomb,” I said. Lucas didn’t say anything, just nodded vaguely.

“Hard not to know when it’s all over the news,” Cora muttered from my side. I watched Lucas send her a sideways glance.

“I know you guys also know that the Cartel set it up,” I said. Lucas nodded.

“So, what do you want from me?” he asked. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“They took a girl,” I said. “Then, the kid I’ve been trying to track down for weeks showed up and confessed to knowing where she is. It’s also come to my attention that this club knows more about the cartel than it lets on,” I said, eyeing Jax pointedly. His eyebrows rose in shock as he realized that I knew about his deal with Nagata.

I watched the wheels spin behind his head as he realized that it was the reason for my frosty attitude towards him at the precinct earlier.

Lucas leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table.

“I can neither confirm nor deny without a lawyer present,” he said. I sighed.

“All of this is off the record,” I said. “Because, truthfully, I need your help.”

I watched as the president’s lip twitched. He motioned for me to ‘go on’.

“My superiors have denied my appeal for a team to follow the kid down to Mexico and rescue her because we don’t have sufficient evidence,” I said. “Agent Nagata is currently interrogating the kid to see if we can get an exact location on Amy, but it occurred to me that you guys might actually know where they’re keeping her.”

Lucas frowned. “And you think that I know where she is because…”

I bit my lip. “Jax told me that you guys get your drugs from big dealers. I know that more than three quarters of the drugs in Florida come from the Mexican cartel. I’m just playing the odds,” I said. Lucas scowled, turning his head to glare at Jax. In turn, Jax shrugged and fiddled with a pocket knife in his fingers.

Lucas frowned. “I, personally, don’t know, but there is someone who might know where she is.”

I looked desperately at him but he gave me nothing in return. “Will you help or not?”

He shrugged. “What would stop you from turning us in as soon as you get her back? Because, as you’ve just said, you know we work in illegal dealings.”

I shook my head. “I’m already going against orders to try and get this mission approved, but this girl’s life is more important than my career and I’d rather risk it than let her die.”

Lucas regarded me slowly.

“We have to help, Lou,” Cora voiced. He glared at his sister and I watched her roll her eyes.

“Come on,” she continued. “It’s not skin off your nose, besides you’ve done plenty of rescue missions for kidnapped girls before.”

Lucas didn’t say anything, just glared at his sister. An unexpected voice chimed in. “Coraline’s right,” Gage added. “We have to help this girl, I mean, she’s just a kid.”

I nodded once at the man as a thank you for vouching for me and he tipped his head in my direction as a reply. Lucas sighed and turned to Jax.

“Do I even need to ask for your vote?” he asked, his voice gruff. Jax smirked and looked at me once before turning back to his friend.

“Everly’s a straight shooter,” he said. “If she says she won’t turn us in then she’ll stick to her word.”

Lucas regarded his statement before turning back to me.

“I want it in writing,” he said. “If we help you, there’ll be no legal repercussions.”

I nodded. “Whatever you want.”

He finally let a small smirk onto his lips.

“Right, well, like I said, I know someone closer to this shit than any of us. I’ll get in touch with him and see what I can uncover. Anything on from that, you have the club at your disposal to help with this case,” he said. I nodded.

“Thank you,” I said. Before I could say anything, my phone started ringing. I picked it up hurriedly, noting that the caller ID said ‘Nagata’. I waved a finger at the club members in the room before I walked out and made my way to a secluded corner of the house.

 _“I couldn’t get anything out of him,”_ he said. I cursed, nodding.

“Okay. That’s fine, I think I have a new plan anyway. As long as you don’t mind breaking a few rules…” I said hopefully.

Nagata sighed on the other end of the line.

_“Depends on which rules…”_

I sighed. “It might be illegal.”

Nagata cursed. _“You went to the club, didn’t you?”_

I didn’t reply and the agent cursed again.

 _“Fine,”_ he said. _“Give me twenty minutes, I’ll round up a few trustworthy people around here and bring them over to that estate for a rundown.”_

My eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re on board?”

Nagata sighed. _“I’m already in too deep with this case and need to see this girl home safe, so yes, I’m on board with whatever crazy plan you’re whipping up over there. My boss already denied the rescue mission anyway, so we’re going against orders no matter what. I just hope you have a damn location on her.”_

I frowned. “I’m working on it. Talon is just securing it for me now.”

 _“I’ll be there in twenty,”_ he said, before he hung up. I pushed the phone into the back pocket of my jeans before walking back to where Jax and his brothers were. They hadn’t really moved from their seats besides Cora, who was now sitting in Gage’s lap.

They all looked up when I walked in. Lucas was lowering the receiver of a landline phone.

He sent me a nod. “That was Miguel, he’s the president of the _Diablos_ chapter in Lorida,” he said. “He knows the guys who work for the cartel locally and he gave us a shipping and distribution location outside of Mexico city. It’s the best we have.”

I nodded, running a hand through my hair.

“No, thank you, that’s more than I could have asked for,” I said. Lucas nodded in my direction before rising from his seat. The others rose after him. Jax stepped towards me and stood by my side as Lucas walked past.

“We’ll start getting reinforcements ready,” he said as he walked. “You can write up a makeshift contract while we wait for your cop friends to show up.”

I frowned. “How did you–”

Lucas just smirked. “Not much goes on here that I don’t know about.”

Jax chuckled behind me before we watched Lucas walk from the room. I let out a breath. This was happening. I was about to risk my career for a kid I barely knew, and didn’t have a concrete location on.

As much of a victory as today was, I was in way over my head with this.

I was fucked.

.

**Ev is officially working outside the law. How do we feel about that? Especially as she is such a stickler for the rules…**


	43. 41

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE**

**Everly**

Jax yanked on my arm to get me to turn and face him. We were the only ones left in the meeting room. I scowled up at him and he frowned.

“He told you, didn’t he?” he asked. I glared at him. I wasn’t in the mood for this shit.

“Yes.”

Jax sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Ev, babe, I’m sorry, I was just trying to help,” he tried. I cut him off with a single look.

“You can go and fuck yourself,” I spat. “You should have told me that shit when Nagata first came to you. You of all people should know that relationships cant be built on lies and you’d be damned if you thought that I’d tolerate this shit.”

Jax frowned at me and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re seriously blaming all this on me?”

I reefed my arm from his grip and turned to stalk out of the room.

“Look,” he said. “I know I should have told you, but I also know how fucking weird you are about accepting anybody’s help, let alone help from me.”

I turned on my heel to glower at him and he set his lips in a hard line.

“I know what I did was wrong, but I need you to understand that I did it _for_ you…”

I rolled my eyes. “Bullshit,” I said. “You did it for yourself to feed your damn ego. If you were truly doing it for me, you would have fucking told me about it. Besides, I don’t need your help.”

I glared, setting my lips into a hard line as I huffed and moved to walk from the room again.

“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me,” he voiced. I scowled and my fists clenched. I refused to turn around and give him the satisfaction of the glower on my face. I knew he was right. Scotty never would have come out if Jax hadn’t gone snooping.

“Yeah,” I said. “But maybe if you hadn’t have meddled, those four officers who died in that house because of a cartel bomb, might still be alive right now. Instead, the cartel retaliated for you snooping around. So, you’re right, I _should_ be thanking you.” My tongue was quick and my tone sarcastic as I shook my head. I turned to give him my stink eye and realized he was right behind me.

“Don’t you _dare_ blame that on me,” he seethed, his voice low. I stared up at him defiantly. My retaliation was interrupted as I heard tyres screech on the gravel outside. I gave Jax one last glare, which he returned in full, before I hurried from the room and out onto the front landing.

I watched as Nagata and Imogen emerged from the patrol car, but then my eyes widened and my glare deepened at the sight of a third person stepping out of the vehicle. He sent me a sheepish look when our eyes locked.

The anger bubbling up inside of me after my argument with Jax was coming rapidly to the surface as Mikey stood across from me, running a hand through his hair nervously. I wanted to storm down the driveway and punch him into oblivion.

Before I knew what was happening, I was doing just that – the storming part, not the punching part. I was all up in Mikey’s face, ready to make his face all different colors of the rainbow as a slew of cuss words erupted from my lips. Then a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and hauled me back, away from the slightly terrified look in my ex-boyfriend’s eyes.

I scratched at Jax’s arms, which was about as pointless as trying to escape from a straightjacket.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here!” I demanded. Mikey flinched at my voice but – to his credit – stood his ground. I wanted to haul my ass over there and lay into him, every grievance I had ever had, just to release some frustration.

Jax’s grip was relentless as he held me back. My anger with him had not subsided. I finally managed to get him to put me down by elbowing him in the ribs. He let out a huff before he released me.

I turned to give my current boyfriend – I didn’t even know if I wanted him to be, anymore – a glare before turning back to Mikey, waiting for him to splutter out some kind of answer to my demands. Jax looked livid. His eyes were narrowed in on me and were flicking back and forth between myself and my ex.

His jaw was clenched as he watched our exchange.

“You’d better answer her,” Imogen voiced. “She deserves that much.”

I glared at my ex, waiting for him to heed my friend’s advice.

“Do it, before I kick your teeth in for what you did to her,” Jax threatened. I rolled my eyes at his over-protectiveness, and cursed my body for the slight clench that it gave me. I hated that my body still yearned for him, especially right now, I mean, couldn’t it tell that I currently didn’t want anything to do with Jax?

I saw from the corner of my eye as Cora, who had joined us outside, put a hand on Jax’s forearm and he seemed to calm down a bit when she sent him a warning look. Then she gave me a reassuring smile, so, at least she was on my side in all of this.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on you and your case,” Mikey admitted. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You _what?_ ” My fists clenched tightly at my sides.

Mikey sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Not because I thought you couldn’t handle it,” he clarified. “Just… You know, I just had to make sure you were okay after… well, after – you know…”

I glared at him. “Too pussy to even say the words?” I glowered. “You cheated on me, Michael. Say it.”

Mikey sighed and dropped his gaze to the ground as he shuffled. “Look, Ev–”

“ _Don’t_ call me that,” I seethed. “You lost that privilege a long time ago.”

Mikey watched me carefully. “Fair enough. Look… I just thought that you could use the manpower. I know that Wells didn’t sanction any of this, so I thought that this could be my start to repaying what I did to you. I know it was an absolute asshole move and the worst thing I could have done at the time but I really am sorry and I want – no I _need_ – to make it up to you. Please let me help with this…”

I flicked my eyes towards Imogen, who shrugged. Then over to Nagata who gave me a solemn frown. “We do need the man power,” he said. I shook my head.

“Bullshit we do,” I said. “We have a whole motorcycle club behind us.”

“And what’s one more man?” Nagata said. “We’ll be outnumbered by the cartel anyway… we need him.”

I glared at Nagata. He was nowhere close to being back in my good books, either. The agent shrugged.

I sighed and looked back at my ex. “Fine. But I’m not sitting next to you on the flight there,” I said, my voice hard. Mikey nodded at me once before he turned around to help haul supplies out of the trunk of the patrol car.

I turned around and shoved past Jax by barging his shoulder. He glowered after me before following as I made my way back inside. Eventually, everyone joined us inside and we decided that we’d split into two groups.

The cops would go down to Mexico on the first flight available, secure accommodation and do recon on the location Miguel had given us. Then, the MC would stay in Florida and gather supplies and information from Miguel’s club, before riding down and meeting the rest of us there so that we could storm the cartel’s place.

It was a shit plan, and for any other sting operation, I’d have required way more time to come up with a decent game plan, but this was the best we could do on our time schedule. I didn’t look at Jax as we drove out of the club’s estate. I was still pissed with him about hiding shit from me, and at least these hours away from him and his charm would help me to think over what I really wanted – and needed – right now.

Maybe Jax wasn’t good for me. Maybe it was time to accept that what we’d been occupying ourselves with – it wasn’t working anymore.

I needed to come to terms with that, and this time away from him would help.

I had already half decided in my mind what I would do. So why did my chest ache at the thought of letting him go again?

.

**Jax**

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans with a scowl as she ripped out of the estate. I sighed and flicked my head to the left when I felt a hand clap down on my shoulder.

“Women, right?” Lucas said, sending me a sympathetic look. “Can’t negotiate with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.”

I chuckled slightly and he nodded, sending me that ‘what-can-you-do’ look. I rolled my eyes as we walked back into the clubhouse. The rest of the guys were gearing up for the ride to Mexico, while I saw Gage and Cora in the kitchen, embraced in a kiss. I tore my eyes away, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

When he was finished, Gage and I would be riding to Lorida to speak with Miguel about what else we could do to prepare for these guys. But, I was finding it hard to concentrate on anything except Everly.

I should have expected that she’d react this way to finding out about my deal with Nagata, and in the back of my head, I always knew it would happen. But, still, I hadn’t said anything to her.

Had I been sabotaging us?

I sighed, shaking my head as I tried to rid my brain of that thought. I wanted her, and had wanted her for so long that sabotaging a chance with her was out of the question. I just needed to think of a way to make this shit up to her. I needed to prove to her that I wasn’t going to repeat my mistakes from highschool.

I needed to show her that she could trust me when she thought she couldn’t. Our arguments from highschool flashed through my mind as I relived the reasons she broke up with me in the first place. I didn’t want it to happen again and I’d do just about anything to keep her by my side.

She needed to know that. I had to prove it to her. I had to show her that I was more than the reckless biker she thought I was. I needed to show her that she meant more to me than my reputation, because after all, that had been my downfall the first time.

I looked up from my phone, where I’d been absentmindedly scrolling through a text thread with Miguel. Gage was standing at my side.

“Ready?” he asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Me? _I_ was waiting for _you_ ,” I chuckled. “Finished your game of tonsil hockey, I see.”

Gage rolled his eyes and shoved my shoulder mumbling a ‘shut up, dickhead’. I found it in me to chuckle and walk outside after him. We mounted our bikes and within minutes, were riding out of town on the freeway to Lorida.

On the ride out there, I went through the thousand different ways that Ev could have found out about my deal with Nagata. I ended up as the bad guy in every situation and I cursed myself for not knowing better.

I knew who Everly was as a person, and I always knew how she would perceive our exchange. She had a chip on her shoulder about people who lied to her, and whether that came from me, from her parents, or from her last relationship, I should have known better.

I should have told her from day dot and maybe she wouldn’t have been so pissed. I watched the numbers on my speed dial climb as I got caught up in my emotions. I took a deep breath to calm down as we made it into Lorida.

Gage led the way through the town and out to the Diablos club house. It was an old gas station turned fast food takeaway that had never succeeded in the small town. The Diablo had set up camp there a few years ago.

Gage and I were frisked at the door, even though our clubs were currently on good terms, before we walked through to a meeting place with their President.

“Trigger, Viper,” he greeted, shaking our hands as we sat down at a table with Miguel. His VP and his S-A-T stayed in the room with us as he handed over addresses and phone numbers of weapons dealers in Mexico that could supply to us. It was good, better than us being clinched at the border for trying to cross with too many armed weapons.

“Antonio and Jorge have a warehouse down there, and if you say you’re cool with me then they’ll set you guys up,” he said. He handed us a stack of papers and a strange cold coin .

“What’s this? Mexican currency?” I asked. Miguel shook his head at me.

“No, Mexicans use Pesos. That coin is the currency of our club, that’s why the logo is stamped on that side.”

I looked down, eyeing the Aztec symbol of a skeletal face on fire, with eyes wide and its tongue sticking out. I nodded and flipped the coin in my hands.

“You give that to Jorge, and he’ll know you came from us,” Miguel nodded. Gage tanked him and shook his hand and then we were out of there. We were back in Okeechobee before mid-morning. Gage and I swung by our respective houses to gather our shit before meeting back at the clubhouse. When we arrived, the guys were setting up for our long ride.

I pulled my shit together and stood in the driveway with a couple other people who were ready to go. Cora and Gage were standing by their bikes, hand in hand. Lucas was barking orders at prospects, while Linc and Samual gathered the other brothers together.

Everyone convened outside when they were ready and we stood around, waiting for Lucas to tell us the deal.

“Alright, brothers!” He yelled. “It’s a 20 hour ride to Harlingen but we’re gonna do it in 13. Our Texas charter will house us for the night before we head across the border. We’ll split into smaller groups for the ride. I want Trigger, Siren, Linc, Muggs and Samual in one group. Viper is with me and all the prospects.

“I want Sticks and Reaper to bring up the rear, along with every brother I haven’t named, besides Noah and Elias. You two are to stay here like we talked about, and keep a hold of the estate. Make sure no idiots think they can storm the place just because we’ve left town for a few days..”

There was a murmur of agreement among the group and then I shot my leg over the side of my bike, gunning the engine. Lucas did the same, shoving on his helmet before he launched out of the driveway. A grin split across my face as I drew on my shades and was after him. The thunder of thirty odd bikes sounded through the air and I heard brother whooping and hollering as we set off.

Our ride was long as we went to the top of Florida, through the bottom of Alabama into Mississippi as we cross the coastline. Then we rode the middle of Louisiana and into Texas. We went through Houston and down the coast to the border.

Our Texas charter was situated in Harlingen, and their President, Chris, escorted us through town. Cops gave us dirty looks as the entire charter rode through town. Chris took us to his clubhouse, which had enough empty rooms to house half of us, the other half stayed at a motel in town. We arrived at about eleven at night, and some of the brothers sat around drinking with our other charter.

I couldn’t focus, though. I had thought about what I could do to make it up to Everly for practically every minute that we were on the road. In the morning, we’d head for the border and hopefully cross into Mexico without a hitch. It would be another 12 hour ride into the heart of Mexico city, before we could even meet up with Miguel’s contacts.

So, it would still be a while until I could talk to Everly, but I knew exactly what I was going to say to her as soon as I laid eyes on her.

I was going to apologise, sincerely, and make her understand that I meant it. I was going to make her understand how much she meant to me.

.

**You guys are gonna _love_ the next chapter ;)**


	44. 42

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO**

**Everly**

I threw my small suitcase onto the motel bed, watching it bounce on the crappy spring mattress. The thing squeaked for Christ’s sake. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The flight down had been terrible, and our drive to this shitty roadside motel had been even worse, but it was the most nondescript place we could have hoped for.

I think the worst part was that all I’d had to eat in over twenty-four hours was one power bar at the airport. My stomach growled like clockwork and so I walked outside to where I’d seen a vending machine on the way in. I didn’t have any pesos on me, but luckily, this machine accepted American ones so I bought myself a bag of potato chips who’s brand I didn’t recognize.

I walked back into my single room and fell back on the creaky bed. It still managed to protest under my light weight but I ignored the sound, ripping open my snacks. I devoured the bag before staring up at the ceiling. I had thought of nothing on my flight over except Jax.

I hated that he’d kept shit from me.

I hated it. And I hated that I understood why he did it in the first place.

Because he was right. He was right about me and was right about how I would have reacted if he’d told me sooner anyway. He was right about me not ever accepting help from others.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I closed my eyes. The least I could do was get some sleep before our recon tomorrow morning.

.

Nagata pointed two fingers at myself and Imogen, motioning for us to move to the right. We followed his order as we crept around the side of the building. We were scoping out the shipping and distribution location that Miguel had given us.

The place was built like a congregation of warehouses, but the fences surrounding them were topped with rolls of barbed wire and men every few yards with guns. It was a miracle we’d made it this far without being seen.

Imogen was miming instructions to me of where she was headed next and I nodded, covering her as she climbed one of the outside walls. I didn’t know how she did it, but I recalled her telling me once about a parkour class that she’d been taking.

She scaled the wall and gave me a thumbs up before she looked down into the warehouse compound. I covered her as she was up there for about ten minutes before she came back down.

“I counted ten men manning the walls, all armed with AK’s. There’s some kind of huge mansion right in amongst all the warehouses,” Imogen said, “I’d bet that’s where they’d keep the kid.”

I nodded before we crept back to our rendezvous point with Nagata and Mikey. They were waiting patiently for us and we piled into our getaway car. I still didn’t know how we hadn’t been seen.

Mikey was on the lookout for anyone who could be tailing us on the way back to the motel while Imogen relayed what she’d seen. Nagata nodded as he drove.

“All we found was their shipping entrance,” he said. “It would be the easiest way for us to get in. If the club’s Mexican contact has a truck that we can hide in the back of then that would be our best shot at getting past the armored guys on the wall.”

I nodded. “And if we can’t get a truck?”

“Then we’re fucked,” Mikey chimed in. I tried to hold in my frustration that he was even here, but exhaled and decided to focus on the plan at hand.

Nagata’s phone chimed with a text and he handed it off to Imogen to read.

“The club’s been held up at the border,” she said. “Apparently a guard found a joint on one of the guys.” I rolled my eyes. Of course one of them would be stupid enough to carry weed across the border.

“So, they’re gonna be late,” she said. “Coraline says they’ll probably get here at midnight.”

I nodded and was silent the rest of the way back to the hotel.

.

My eyes tore open and I blinked groggily into the darkness. There was a shuffling outside my door and I could hear distant voices. I turned on the lamp beside the bed and squinted as I looked around the room.

I shoved my covers off my body, my ears pricking as I heard the rumble of motorcycle engines. I pulled on the flannel shirt that I’d left on the end of my bed before I walked over to the door.

The least I could do was go out there and thank Lucas for making his way down here and using the club to help get Amy back. I ran a hand through my hair as I sighed. My eyes flicked towards the digital alarm clock on the bedside, noting that it was past midnight.

My hand fell on the doorknob, getting ready to turn the handle when suddenly, it did it for me. I took a step back as the door opened inwards and Jax appeared in the doorway. He regarded me with a quick once over before he shut the door behind him.

A glare settled over my features. Every ounce of my annoyance with him returned.

_Who did he think he was showing up in my bedroom like he owned the place?_

However, those feelings were clouded with arousal as I took in his form. He looked tired and weary from his near thirty something hours on the road. But, he still looked hot.

He had a bit of scruff emerging on his jaw, something that he was usually diligent to keep clean shaven. His blond hair was falling in his eyes in that sexy way and his eyebrow piercing was glinting at me. My lips were set into a hard line and I clenched my stomach in an attempt to stem my arousal.

“I know you want to yell at me,” he said, his voice tired. “But, can I shower first?”

I frowned, biting my lip and turning away from him.

“Sure, but not in here.”

Jax rolled his eyes.

“Look, I know you don’t want me in here but this place doesn’t exactly have a hundred rooms to choose from. You were either going to share with me, or with Muggs. And trust me when I say that as much as you hate me, you’d still rather I be your roommate than him. He shaves his beard in bed.”

My eyebrows wrinkled and I screwed up my nose at the image.

“So… shower?”

I huffed, crossing my arms.

“Fine. Through there,” I said, pointing towards the door across the room. Jax nodded and took his things, closing the bathroom door softly behind him. I watched him go, sitting down on my bed and running a hand through my hair.

I picked up the television remote and turned on the screen, wanting something to both pass the time, and drown out the thoughts racing through my head. Half of me was still mad at him, and the other half wanted to jump his bones because I hadn’t seen him in close to two days.

I was screwed up in the head and I knew it. my body ached for him and I cursed myself for these involuntary reactions. I sighed and shut off the tv. There was nothing on that could make me ignore the man in my bathroom.

Stood up and began pacing the room. I looked forlornly at the bed. Maybe I could pretend to be asleep and he’d leave me alone?

Who was I kidding? He’d never fall for that. He’d just wake me up anyway.

I sighed and continued pacing. I must’ve worn a hole in the carpet by the time Jax emerged. His hair was wet but I could smell his soap from here. My glare settled back on my face.

Jax rolled his eyes at me.

“I’m still pissed with you, so, I’ve changed my mind,” I said. Jax rose an eyebrow. I walked to the door and opened it before I picked up a pair of car keys from the table beside the door. I tossed the keys to him before motioning for him to walk out the door.

“You will sleep in the car. I’m tired and just want a good night’s sleep.”

Jax chuckled darkly, walking towards me.

“The hell I will, doll,” he said. He pushed the door closed and locked it. It was pointless, because I could just go ahead and unlock it again, but Jax was in the way, making me back up into the room.

“I’ve just sat on a bike seat for a day, I’m sleeping in a goddamn bed.”

I huffed, crossing my arms. Jax sighed and took a step towards me. I stepped back as he stepped forwards until the backs of my knees hit the mattress.

“I don’t want you in here,” I said, my voice loosing some of its confidence. Jax sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I know. But… I’m not going anywhere until you at least hear me out.” My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he reached out and pulled me closer to him. My hands flew to his chest trying to push him away but he enveloped me in his arms. I was trapped in a cage of muscle and I clenched my jaw.

“I’m sorry,” he said. I closed my eyes, letting go of a little bit of my anger. Those two little words were all I wanted him to say, but I was still a stubborn person.

“Bullshit,” I said, my voice muffled in his t-short as he kept me pressed close to him. My hands had wrapped around his chest and my fingers were gripping the material at his back.

I couldn’t help but sigh into him as my body welcomed his embrace.

Jax moved a hand up into my hair and began stroking it.

“Truly,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Nagata. I should have, because you deserved to know. I was an idiot and I thought I was helping, but I understand why you’re pissed.”

He pulled away slightly to cup my jaw and look into my eyes.

“You’ve been lied to by everyone about everything for your entire life and you didn’t want me lying to you, too. At least, not again anyway.” He sighed, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “You had a right to know and I was a fucking idiot for not filling you in. I’m an asshole for letting you believe you had no more leads and I’m a dickhead for not just confiding in you. But, Ev, I need you to forgive me…”

I frowned, pulling away from him and sitting down on the bed. I didn’t realize that tears were forming in my eyes. Jax lowered himself down until he was crouched in front of me.

I cradled my head in my hands and exhaled a long breath. Jax’s hands were on my waist, his fingers stroking softly to comfort me. He didn’t know if I wanted him closer to me or if I wanted to push him away. Truthfully, I didn’t know what I wanted either.

I sighed and looked up, blurry eyed. Jax frowned and leaned forward until we were in each other’s faces.

“Why did you do it?” I whispered. “You could have just told me…”

He nodded, frowning. “I know. Sometimes I’m just the same fucking idiot from high school,” he said. I chuckled slightly.

“You’ve always been that idiot.”

Jax nodded and tilted my head up, kissing me softly. I sighed into our kiss, moving my hand up to cup his face. His hands were on my waist, keeping me close to him. I pulled away, my eyes closed.

Jax coaxed me up to look at him.

“Tell me what’s really bugging you,” he whispered. “I know you’re not just pissed about my shit.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and the other across my face to get rid of my tears.

“I’m scared, Jax.”

My boyfriend frowned at me. “About what?”

I sighed. “You didn’t see it,” I said. “The place where they’re keeping Amy. It’s like a fortress and she’s probably already dead.”

Jax sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m serious,” I said. “Those guys are no joke. We’re walking into a friggin war, and I’ll kill you if you go and get yourself hurt in the morning.” I pointed a finger at him and he smirked. Jax walked closer to me and hauled me up until I was standing. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in for another kiss. It was chaste this time.

“I’d never make you worry, babe,” he grinned. I rolled my eyes.

“Better not,” I muttered, looking at the ground. “I can’t lose another person I love.” My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I realized what had just slipped out of my mouth. My heart stopped beating and my lungs stopped pushing out air. I was frozen while I waited for whatever he would say next.

Jax’s eyes were wide as he watched me.

“You love me?” he asked. I frowned, pushing away from him and walking to the other side of the room.

“What? No. No, no, no, I was just rambling,” I said, trying to take it back. Dear god I wanted to take it back. His ego was big enough as it was. The words had surprised me, but I was even more surprised to realise that I meant them.

Jax grinned, raising an eyebrow as he stalked after me. He caught me by the arm and pulled me back to him, then he fell forwards on the bed, taking me with him and trapping me underneath him.

I tried to struggle but he held me still. Jax grinned and kissed me, shutting me up and making me lie still.

“That’s a shame then, babe. Because _I_ love _you_ , Evie.”

My eyes widened and my mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Jax chuckled at my reaction, grinning ear to ear.

“Better shut your mouth, babe, or my cock might fill it,” he joked. I glared and punched him in the arm.

“You just have to fucking ruin every damn moment, don’t you?”

Jax laughed, kissing me again. “You love it.”

When he pulled away, I frowned. “I don’t know if I can do this again,” I whispered honestly. Jax frowned at me.

“Do what?”

“ _It will just end like last time_ ,” I winced, tears beginning to fall again. Jax gripped me beneath him.

“It ended last time because you were scared of how you felt for me,” he said. I shook my head.

“No, I ended it last time because you were getting yourself involved in the club and you knew I wanted nothing to do with it. You started becoming distant and I felt like you wanted the cut more than you wanted me.”

Jax frowned, shaking his head. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than I’ve wanted you.”

I shook my head, closing my eyes. “I want to believe you, but I’m a cop, Jay. Cops and bikers don’t go together any more than ice cream goes with beef stew.”

Jax rolled his eyes and looked straight into my eyes. “That’s bullshit, Ev. You’re just saying this shit to yourself because you’re scared.”

I glared at him. “Damn right I’m fucking scared!” I yelled. “I’ve spent my whole career watching idiot bikers ruin their lives for their clubs and I walked away from you because I knew the same would happen to you.”

Jax glared at me. “Do I look like I’ve ruined my life?”

I looked at him pointedly. “You tell me. Only weeks ago, you were admitting to me that you buy drugs in bulk for your club. That shit is dangerous, Jax.”

Jax sighed, rolling his eyes before settling me with his steely gaze. “What do you want from me, babe? Want me to renounce my club? Leave it and leave my brothers?”

I sighed, trying to push him off me. “Of course not, they’re your family.’ I stopped trying to push him away because he wouldn’t fucking move. “I just don’t know how to deal with the worry. Being with you means worrying about the fact you might die everytime you walk out the door.”

Jax sighed, giving me a small smirk. “Have a little faith in me babe, I’ve made it this far haven’t I?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. Take tomorrow for an example. We don’t know what the fuck we’re walking into…”

Jax grinned, chuckling before leaning down and kissing me. I couldn’t help but let him. My body was singing at having him so close after two days without him. But, I wasn’t finished with this conversation. I put a hand on his chest and he pulled away to look at me.

“ _You’re not good for me,_ ” I whispered. Jax frowned but I put a finger to his lips before he could say anything. “I run to you to help me forget my problems. You’re a bandaid. I come to you to forget and I push you away when we get too close. We don’t work. We egg each other on and drive eachother batshit crazy.

“They say opposites attract but we’re the same. We’re both stubborn and headstrong and we love hard like we fight hard, Jax. You can’t make two positive magnets try and touch, we’re just going to burn each other out.”

Jax pulled away from me slightly, obviously hurt by my words. “You don’t believe that,” he whispered.

I sighed, frowning as my lips began to tremble. “I do.”

Jax sighed and got off me before pacing the room. I sat up in the bed and watched him silently. “You’re driving me nuts right now,” he said, his voice low.

I huffed. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Jax. We have no compromise, no push and pull. We both just push and push and eventually one of us is going to break and it’s going to be me.”

“So you’d rather push me away?” he said angrily, gesturing with his hands through the air. “You’d rather ignore the way you feel about me?”

I sighed, looking at my hands. “Jax, it’s exhausting…”

“Bullshit,” he said, walking back over to me. “It’s exhausting because you’re not letting yourself feel the way you want to feel. You’re drawn to me because you know that we could be great, Evie. You have to ignore that stupid voice in your head that’s telling you I’m bad for you.

“You say I’m a band aid but you’re wrong. I’m not a cover up for your problems or a drug to help you forget. I listen to your words when you come to me. I distract you when I know your brain can’t handle your obsessive overthinking. I give you advice and insight in a way you’ve never heard it.

“I’ve never done anything but try to help you, Evie. I’ve never pushed you further than you can handle, but I have challenged you to understand the way that I know you want me. Because, you do, Evie. You want me and you can’t deny it.

“You know that I can be good to you and you’re making up bullshit excuses not to be with me because you have your mothers voice in the back of your head.”

He sat down beside me and pulled me into his lap. “You love me,” he whispered, his lips mere inches from mine. I watched him close his eyes painfully as he held me closer to him. “Say the words and fucking believe them, baby.”

My lips trembled and I wrapped my arms around his neck. A tear tracked its way down my face. “ _I can’t_ ,” I whispered, my eyes falling closed. Jax shook his head and pulled me even closer to him. He pressed a kiss to my nose, then each of my cheeks, the corners of my lips, my eyelids. He pressed a kiss everywhere on my face as I cried silent tears.

“Yes you can,” he said desperately. “I love you, Everly. I love you even though you push me away. I love you even though you yell at me. I love you even though you own that damn demon cat. I love you, and you love me, and you know it. I have loved you since I found you in that school parking lot and you have loved me since the first joint we shared.”

He pulled me away from him to stare into my eyes. “ _Just say the words, baby_.”

I brought a hand to his face and closed my eyes as my fingers tracked down and my thumb caught on his lip. I could feel it as he tried to control his breathing. His words were my kryptonite and every fibre in my being wanted to give into him.

Because he was right.

He was right about everything.

Tears fell from my face as I finally brought my lips closer to his. “You’re a fucking stubborn asshole,” I whispered, my voice broken. “ _I fucking_ hate _how much I love you_.” Then I brought his face closer to mine and he slammed our lips together in a kiss more fierce than we had ever shared.

My lips were tingling when we pulled away and he grinned at me, his eyes shining.

“You mean it?” he grinned. I rolled my eyes, frowning, but I nodded. Jax gave me the full force of his smile before he kissed me again. “Knew you couldn’t resist me, baby,” he chuckled.

I glared at him. “You’re a fucking asshole, Jay.”

He chuckled, shaking his head and peppering kisses across my face, making me let out a low laugh. “Don’t care what you call me,” he grinned. “I’ve been trying to get you to admit that you love me for ten years.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled his lips back to mine to shut him up.

.

**Told you you’d _love_ this chapter… ;)**


	45. 43 pt1

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE (Part 1)**

***mature content warning***

**Everly**

I had been lying awake in our motel bed for the good part of an hour. I frowned as I watched Jax in his sleep. I was surprised that my stirring hadn’t already woken him, but then again, he’d had a long few days riding down here.

Then after all the shit that went down with us last night, I didn’t blame him for passing out. I reached up and stroked a strand of his hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear.

Still nothing.

I sighed, rolling my eyes before trying to move. His arms were like a steel fucking cage and I kind of needed to pee. I felt his fingers begin to move as I jostled in his arms.

“Quit it,” he mumbled. I rolled my eyes and turned back to face him with a smirk. He smiled at me, a genuine smile, as I watched him lazily wake up.

“Let me up, I need to use the bathroom,” I said. Jax ignored me, instead choosing to move at lightning speed and trap me underneath him. He leant his head over mine and captured my lips. I groaned, trying to squirm away but he dug his fingers into my hips to hold me still.

I probably had morning breath.

Jax didn’t seem to care. When he pulled away, he pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose and I fake glared at him. He grinned.

“Morning, love,” he said. I couldn’t help the small flutter in my chest that surfaced at his words. I could feel my cheeks heating up slightly and he smiled. I rolled my eyes.

“Good morning,” I said grudgingly. “Now, can you get your fat ass off me so I can go pee?”

Jax chuckled. “Ain’t nothing fat about this ass, babe.” I rolled my eyes before I wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped us over easily. I had a feeling that he was letting me. His arms cinched around me when I tried to push off him.

I groaned and he chuckled.

“Just one more kiss, baby,” he grinned. I sighed, rolling my eyes with a small smile as I leant down to press my lips to his. He took his time tracing the seam of my lips before plunging inside. He was slow and everything was sensual. When I felt my nipples harden against his chest and a zing of pleasure flow to my core, I knew I had to get away.

Before we ended up fucking all over the room like we had last night.

After he’d gotten me to admit how I felt about him, and him about me, I don’t know what happened. It was like an out of body experience, but we had somehow christened every surface in the room.

I vaguely remember him fucking me against the wall and the floor before we finally made it to the bed. The slight clench in my pussy was my reminder that I needed to pee. I pushed off Jax with a gasp and he chuckled, his hands releasing me.

They had somehow ended up in my hair to keep me close to him.

I skipped to the bathroom in that way when you’re trying to hold everything in, before I was finally able to relax. I brushed my teeth for good measure while I was in there. When I walked back out, Jax was lying lazily out on the mattress, butt ass naked as he scrolled languidly through his phone.

My eyes flicked to the alarm clock on the side table, noting that it was almost seven. It was still fairly early, so I didn’t expect any of the other club members to be up just yet. Jax looked up from his phone when I noticed me in the doorway to the bathroom.

“What are you doing all the way over there?” he grinned. I rolled my eyes with a smirk before happily sliding my eyes down his figure, drinking him in. I could see every ridge and bump of muscle from my shoulders to his calves. He looked like a damn masterpiece.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he might be all mine. Everything I’d said to him last night was the full and honest truth, but it might take me some time to own it. I still had a lot of things about our relationship to come to terms with, but for now, I was happy to keep us in our little bubble.

As my eyes roved over him, I noticed he was nursing a semi. I licked my lips subconsciously before I toed over to him. His eyes were dark with lust at having been drinking in my naked form as I’d done to him. He rolled over to sit up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed in the process.

I stood between his spread legs and he wound his arms around my waist as mine went around his neck. I moved to straddle him, one leg on either side and he held me as I balanced myself over him.

His eyes were trained on my lips as his hands absentmindedly stroked my back and down to my rear. His hands were warm and I could feel his tip pressing at my inner thigh. He was growing diamond hard against me and I resisted the urge to undulate against him.

My hands found their way to his hair, gripping at the ends and moving his lips to mine. He groaned as he tasted my toothpaste and I felt his fingers press me closer. They were on the small of my back and they were persistent as he moved me in a rhythm with his lips.

My hips moved against him slowly, teasing myself without even realizing it. My lips tore from his to bring in a gasp of air. My head fell back and his lips found my neck, sucking languidly before moving down to press kisses to my collarbone. My eyes were shut tightly as I felt him nudge at my folds.

“Oh fuck,” I moaned, letting just his head slip into me. I hissed and didn’t let him push further. Jax groaned in frustration and I shook my head, lowering my head to kiss him again.

“Just let me try something,” I whispered breathlessly. Jax didn’t say anything so I took it as a sign to continue. I rose up off his mushroom head, letting it stroke up to my clit, which made me jolt slightly before I moved it back down to my core with just my hips.

His head slid inside me again and I rocked against it, thrusting and rubbing against just his head. My core ached and throbbed with need and I wanted to badly to just sink down on his dick, but I wanted to tease myself just a little.

“Jesus Christ,” Jax grunted, his lips against my neck, sucking as his fingers gripped the skin of my ass cheeks. My mouth opened in an ‘o’ of slight pain mixed with insurmountable need.

I rose up off his head again, letting it slip up to my clit before I rubbed against it. I drove myself crazy as I let my sensitive nub be abused by his tip. Jax grunted against me and his hips thrust suddenly, as if he couldn’t control it.

Looks like I was teasing someone other than myself, too.

I moaned when he slipped back down to my core. I felt him push his head inside me and I gripped onto the roots of his hair when he tried to push further.

“Not yet,” I moaned. “Just a little… longer.” My words hardly found a way out of my mouth as tingles of pleasure radiated through my body. Jax seemed to understand what I wanted and he obeyed my wish to only thrust his head into my core.

I clenched around him, making him hiss out a breath. He bent his head down to capture one of my nipples between his teeth. I swore when he tugged on it, before his hand came around to pinch at my other.

His cock slipped out of me and I used my chance to run the underside of his length through my pussy lips. I did it slowly once, then two times fast. He groaned and bit into my nipple before his tongue then smoothed over it.

He switched nipples, making the second as pink and rosy as its twin. My breathing was hitched as I tried to control myself. I kept running the underside of his length through my pussy lips, not letting him penetrate me.

I felt like I was on fire. My hands were gasping at anything I could for purchase, and Jax grunted when my nails dug into his shoulders and the back of his neck, before dragging down his back.

I was clutching at his skin and my hips were humping against him. I could feel my orgasm building inside me, waiting for the perfect moment to come crashing down on me. I ran his length through my folds again before I let his head back into my core.

I pushed my knees up so I rose off Jax slightly. My nipple popped from his lips with a wet gush and I moaned at the feeling. He blew a breath of cold air across them, making me shiver and moan at the same time.

“Shit, Jay,” I moaned. His hands moved back down to my ass to control my pace. As I was risen off him slightly, I used my leverage to grind against his head in my core. He swore out a string of cusses as I let him pop back out of me.

“Fuck, Evie,” he grunted, his lips moving back up to find mine. I whimpered into his mouth as he thrust his tongue into my wet canal. My hips sought out his cock again, before I let my core grind his head into me one last time. My toes started to curl as I felt the catalyst of my orgasm begin to unfurl.

“Jay... I’m gonna,” I started. He grunted against me, and then just as I felt my wave of pleasure rise from my toes to my head, I sunk down on his length. He hollered against me and I moaned as he filled me up inside.

I felt hot as he thrust against me without abandon, taking the lead in our speed and I wantonly became submissive to him. He flipped us over in a move that made my head spin. My back felt the comforter below me as he stood between my open legs and pistoned into me like no tomorrow.

My climax reached a new height and I swore as I cried out his name. My body jolted with every hard thrust against my body until I felt him tighten inside me. My eyes rolled back into my head and my pussy clenched around him, never wanting to let go.

Jax hollered as I felt his orgasm kick in. He pulled out of me just as his stream began to unload. I moaned as it fell on my stomach and all over the valley of my breasts. Jax had a hand on his length, pumping him through his motions as my aftershocks had me convulsing on the bed.

I was breathing hard when he fell to his knees. I barely had time to catch a breath before I felt his tongue against my folds, lapping up the remnants of my climax. My hands found his hair as I pressed his face into my core. I practically fucked his face as his tongue brought me to a third, smaller orgasm.

He slurped up my cream and I gasped against him. I could feel my folds clenching against his face as if I was trying to consume him with my pussy. I couldn’t help it, I wanted him closer in every way that I could get him.

When he pulled away from me, he stood up to admire his masterpiece. His eyes were hooded and I smirked before dipping a finger in his release. I dragged it across my tits, collecting his cream before I popped it in my mouth. My eyes were locked on his for the whole activity and I watched his darken.

I licked his cream from my finger, reveling in his salty taste before I looked up at him innocently.

“Fuck, I love you,” he whispered, before he moved forward and lay his body over mine. I moaned into our kiss as our tongues mashed together, melding the flavors of both our orgasms. I was surprisingly sweet against his heady flavor and he groaned when I bit into his bottom lip.

His words had me soaring higher than any orgasm could ever take me. Before we could go for round two, we were interrupted by three harsh raps on the door.

“Geez. You guys can’t keep it in your pants for one damn night?” a familiar voice yelled. My cheeks flamed up as I looked up at Jax. He was just smirking above me and I rolled my eyes at him. “Anyway, we’re leaving in like ten, so I’m hoping you’ll be done by then.”

The voice was feminine and I looked up at Jax, trying to place it.

“Leave us the fuck alone, Cor. We’ll come out when we’re good and ready,” he yelled. My eyes widened as it hit me that Cora was the one who’d caught us.

“The walls are pretty thin, Viper. Sounded to me like you both already came,” she laughed, before I heard her footsteps walk away.

Jax rolled off me with a laugh as I covered my red face. That entire exchange was completely morbid and I was so far gone embarrassed that words couldn’t explain how I was feeling right now.

When I stood up, I cast Jax a sheepish grin and he smirked before reaching out to slap my ass. Then he pulled me into his embrace and pressed a closed mouth kiss on my lips.

“Let’s go save that girl,” he grinned. “And when we’re done, I’m gonna fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a week,” he promised. My eyes widened as my mouth dropped. He squeezed my hips before walking away to get dressed.

I knew he could be vulgar, but this was next level.

I got dressed in a haze as I tried to get ready in time. But somehow, ten minutes later, I was standing outside in our group of unlikely allies, getting ready to storm a cartel stronghold. There was definitely something wrong with me if I thought we were going to come out of this easily.

.

**Just some good old smut before we get into the meat of this operation ;)**


	46. 43 pt2

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE (Part 2)**

**Everly**

Our group was silent as we crouched in the back of the delivery truck. Everyone that I could lay my eyes on had at least one gun in their hand, with multiple mags shoved in every pocket imaginable.

Imogen sent me a grim look as we felt the truck jolt as the brakes were applied. This shit was about to go down. We had come up to the loading entrance of the compound. I could hear muffled voices outside as our driver – one of the Diablos men that the MC engaged with – spoke with the guy who was accepting deliveries today.

There was a moment of hesitation as we heard the two men arguing, and I held my breath. If we couldn’t get in this way then we were fucked. After a few minutes of deliberation, we heard a rap on the wall that connected the cab to the back, signaling that we were being let inside.

I felt Jax reach for my hand and squeeze it reassuringly. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by him right now so I just sent him a small nod with my lips pressed together in a flat line. I just hoped he understood what it meant.

He gave me a nod and his thumb stroked across the back of my hand to comfort me once, before pulling away as the truck came to a stop again. If all went well, our driver had parked us in a vacant bay and we would wait until the coast was clear before opening the door.

It took about ten minutes before I heard the lock on the doors click, and the adrenaline was tense in the air as we waited. Everybody was on their guard, just in case the person unlocking the truck was someone we’d have to shoot to get past.

Luckily, it was our driver. He spoke some words in Italian and waved with his hands, signaling for us to creep out slowly and in small groups.

Jax, Nagata, Imogen, Cora, Lucas, Gage, Mikey and I were first. The rest of them would stay on the ground floor and try to apprehend any cartel members that they came across while our unlikely group of allies would sneak through the compound and try to find Amy.

The place was quiet as we went from door to door, sneaking down hallways with more stealth than I’d ever used on a mission like this. My heart was beating erratically as I watched Nagata peer around a corner and signal that it was okay for us to move.

Gage was covering our back as we moved. I thought that was a stupid decision as he was the one with actual combat training, but no one listened to me when I brought that idea to the group. Oh well, I guess I’d rather have someone experienced covering my back anyway. I couldn’t have it both ways.

Jax was right behind me as we crept down corridors. Each room that we came across was filled with an array of drugs, guns, and bomb making equipment. From what I could tell, this cartel building dealt mostly in heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Some of the rooms were lined with conveyor belts and stations, probably where all of this shit was packaged.

My mind was racing. I wanted to tag and bag all of this and get it off the market, but I had no jurisdiction down here because Wells hadn’t approved my damn sting request. This was like I’d hit the motherload. It was the largest amount of drugs I’d ever seen accumulated in one place.

A bust like this would be like my golden ticket into the big leagues of my career. I could be promoted to a big city organization if I brought in something on this scale.

Jax nudged my arm, breaking me out of my reverie as we made our way into another room. If I had to guess, I’d have said we’d made it through at least half of the compound. I felt a sudden vibration at my waist. It was noiseless, exactly how I’d wanted it.

Each of us were wearing a pager – old school style – and someone had just sent us a group message that they’d managed to secure the delivery warehouse. I allowed myself a small smile before I stopped short, almost bumping into Imogen in front of me.

Nagata had frozen the group and was peering around the corner. He ducked his head back lightning fast. I gave him a look that said, ‘what did you see?’ He shook his head and held up two fingers.

Two guards.

So, we’d reached something of importance if they were going to enough trouble to put security outside.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Lucas whispered. We all turned to face him. “Everly and Viper are gonna take these guys. The rest of us are going to keep going down that hallway. At each door with a guard, we’ll split into groups of two to cover as much ground as we can.”

We all nodded. Nagata was frowning at someone else having taken over. I rolled my eyes. Men and their damn egos.

Nagata handed me a small gun from his back pocket. I gave it a confused glance.

“I’m already covered,” I said. Nagata shook his head.

“This is a tranquilizer dart gun, newly developed from the FBI. Never got the chance to use it before and while I don’t know the extent of its effectiveness, it should do the trick.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of it in my hand and pressing down on the trigger to get a feeling of its kick and strength. Don’t worry – the safety was on. I clicked it back, arming it before turning it over in my hands. Jax nodded to me.

Nagata signaled to the group with specific hand movements and they all nodded and shuffled back down the way we’d come, before turning the corner and leaving Jax and I behind.

Jax sent me a grin before suddenly ducking around the corner. I rolled my eyes, quick to follow him. The two guards had twin looks of surprise on their faces, paired with anger, as Jax and I came storming down the hallway, weapons raised.

I aimed and let fire while Jax covered me. I was shocked by the swiftness of the darts leaving the gun, making easy time of embedding themselves in the guards’ necks. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened when they both hit the ground like two sacks of potatoes.

Jax chuckled, whistling. “Looks pretty effective to me,” Jax voiced. I nodded in agreement. We walked slowly to the door. I bent down to grab a pair of keys from the waistband of one of the unconscious guards. I dangled them in my hand.

“Ready?” I whispered. Jax sent me a grin.

“Bring it on, babe.” I rolled my eyes before pushing the key into the lock and hearing it click as it turned. Jax held up his gun, covering me as I opened the door. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that our efforts were I vain.

I gasped as my eyes fell on the bound figure in the center of the room. Amy looked disheveled as her wrists and ankles were tied. There were dried tear tracks in her dirty complexion.

I made a fatal mistake.

I dropped my guard – and my gun – before I tried to move forward to help the girl. Before I could reach her, I heard a gun click behind me. Jax and I both whirled around. My hands reached for my spare gun as I turned, cocking it and holding it steady.

A man emerged from a dark corner of the room and I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to understand why he looked familiar. He was of a stocky build, and looked stereotypically Mexican with his dark curly hair and caramel complexion.

My lips turned up into a sneer when I realized he was the man who’d broken into my apartment while I was showering, and basically threatened my life as he handcuffed me to my curtain rail.

That had not been my finest hour.

I heard footsteps back behind me again and watched as Jax turned.

“You,” he said, his voice sharp in his accusation, like a whip almost. I heard a chuckle. I wanted to turn around to know who else I was dealing with, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the pervert who’d accosted me.

“Yes… me,” said a voice. I sent Jax a confused glance and he shook his head.

“You were holding Scotty hostage,” Jax confirmed. “You’re Bailey,” he said.

I frowned. Did that mean he was in charge of everything?

The man chuckled behind me. “That, I am,” he said. I so badly wanted to turn around.

“Can we assume you’re in charge of this whole operation then?” Jax asked. I couldn’t see the man’s face, but I imagined he was wearing some smug expression. I watched as the stocky pervert began walking sideways, circling me in a wide berth.

He moved all the way around, allowing me to turn and finally face the man named Bailey. I risked a glance down at Amy, who had a stricken expression on her face. Then my eyes flipped up to Bailey. He gave me a smile.

“And you must be Detective Shimura,” he said. “My dear, I’ve heard so much about you.” His voice had that foreign drawl to it that was making my skin crawl. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded filthy. His tone was dripping with that vibe that made me immediately think ‘bad guy’.

“Good things, I hope,” I said, my voice sarcastic. Bailey gave me a smile but it didn’t meet his eyes. I saw from the corner of my eyes as two more men appear from somewhere. There seemed to be some kind of entrance behind Bailey, and they were just coming out of it.

They were both holding guns and aiming them at Jax and I. I watched as Bailey’s eyes fixated on something behind me, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around.

“You’re surrounded,” the man filled in for me. “Please… drop your weapons.” I watched from my peripheral as Jax glanced behind us. His breath huffed out of his chest in a non-verbal cuss as I glared at Bailey.

_Shit._

I heard Jax drop his gun, before I too, lowered mine to the ground and raised my hands. We weren’t getting out of this easily.

“So, you’re behind it all, then,” I clarified. Bailey just grinned at me.

“He wishes,” I heard a voice say. It was feminine.

I frowned as my eyes flipped up to the door behind Bailey – the one that people just seemed to keep coming out of. “Unfortunately, this specific operation takes a little more patience than he possesses.”

I watched as a middle-aged woman appeared before walking slowly up behind Bailey. She laid a hand on his shoulder with a smile before turning it to myself and Jax. She had that sickly-sweet look in her eyes that made me instantly aware of her entire presence.

There was something entirely unnerving about her. Her hair was dark and wavy, and her complexion matched that of her henchmen, yet she looked familiar. The drawl in her voice was putting me more on edge.

“How nice to finally make your acquaintance,” she said. Her accent was hard to place. It was a mix of American and Mexican, and I was curious as to why. “I’m Flora,” she smiled, showing off her teeth.

I frowned. “Is that revelation supposed to mean something to me?” I asked, my tone annoyed.

The woman chuckled. “No, I suppose not,” she admitted. “I have, after all, built an empire on secrecy and flying under the radar.”

Jax and I both didn’t reply. I was still trying to figure out how to place her. I frowned, trying to remember where I must have known her from.

“And while you don’t know me, may I say that I’ve waited a long time to come face to face with the woman who has been single-handedly the sale of my best drugs in Florida. Phillips and Hale were two of my best runners due to the fact that they could blend in anywhere,” Flora continued. “Thanks to you and your snooping, I’m more than two months behind schedule.”

Her frown distorted her – I’ll admit – beautiful features.

“But I’m delighted that you’ve made your way down here because you’ve just made your surrender all that much simpler,” she said. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“And what makes you think I’d surrender to you?”

Flora laughed in my face. “My darling, your accomplice is a known criminal,” she said, gesturing to Jax, who scowled at the woman. “That alone tells me that you don’t have permission to be here, which means you have no power here, and dare I say, it means that your bosses don’t even know you’re here.

_“So, no one is going to come looking for you.”_

I glared at the woman. She was acting so damn smug.

“I am surprised though,” she said. “I expected more from you, Detective, because it seems you’re still in the dark about so many factors of this whole exchange…”

I frowned. “Enlighten me then. What am I missing?”

Flora grinned but it didn’t meet her eyes. I was getting serious sociopath vibes from her and it was creeping me out. I felt like she was staring into my soul.

“Oh, I’d be delighted to,” she said, then held out her palm, gesturing to the girl on the floor who was still tied up. “Amy…, if you please…”

I watched as Amy shuffled from her hunched position. Her hands were suddenly free of their restraints and my eyes narrowed. She then reached down to untie her ankles before taking the gag from her mouth. She wiped a hand under her eyes, drying the ‘tears’ there, before she stood and gave me a grin.

I couldn’t find any words.

_What? The? Fuck?_

Jax was chuckling darkly beside me, shaking his head. I sent him a glare to shut him up but he ignored me.

“You’re quite the actress, kid,” he said. “You could’ve fooled me…”

Amy smiled and it all hit me suddenly. She had that sickly-sweet smile too. “That was kind of the point,” she drawled. I scowled at the girl.

“As I’m sure you’re now piecing together, our relationship is not what it seems. I’m shocked you didn’t pick up on the resemblance earlier, _Detective_ ,” Flora said as her hand came down on Amy’s shoulder. I glared at the girl.

“I thought you said your mother abused you?”

Amy rolled her eyes and shrugged. “My mother used to hit me for not doing what I was told,” she said. “You came to your own conclusions about what that meant.”

I shook my head. I was pissed. I’d made my way down here to rescue a girl who didn’t need rescuing. I felt like a fucking idiot.

I sighed, my breath releasing from my lips like a whip. “Get on with it then,” I spat. “I’m sure you’re itching to spill your evil plan to us.”

Flora chuckled. “This isn’t a movie, dear. That’s not going to happen.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Oh, really? Because all you’ve done since you walked in here is act coy. No one acts like that unless they like boasting about their victories.”

Flora regarded my statement for a moment.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Indulge yourself in your ego for a moment. I mean, like you said, you have us surrounded with nowhere to go. _What have you got to lose_ …”

Flora narrowed her eyes at me, trying to understand my angle. I had no angle. I was just trying to stall for time until Nagata or someone came looking for us. I just hoped they weren’t otherwise engaged anywhere else.

Flora nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Something tells me that you like knowing all the sides of the board.”

I licked my lips, ready to hear what she had to say.

“As you can tell, Amy is not my prisoner, she is one of my best dealers.”

“I ran away when she wanted me to move to Mexico with her to deal drugs,” Amy said. “I didn’t want to be the daughter of a drug lord. I was picked up for small time dealing in juvie and saying that I was abused was the easiest way to get sympathy from the security guards.”

I turned my eyes to the girl. This was the most I’d ever heard her speak. It was nice to know that she was as smug as her mother. Speaking of, Flora smiled down proudly at her daughter as she spoke. The exchange made my stomach churn.

“Once I earned their favor, it was easy to start nicking stuff. I took drugs from the medics to share with the others because a lot of the kids in there self-medicate for PTSD,” Amy continued. “That was when I realized I’d be good in Mom’s business. I got myself out of there and in contact with her as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“Of course, I didn’t trust her,” Flora added. “So, I set her up with some small-town keys to build a new operation.”

“So, you’re basically responsible for the drugs in Okeechobee?” I clarified, glaring at the two women. “Must feel good, huh?”

Amy shrugged, smirking. Flora ignored me.

“Then she brought in those two teenagers,” Flora said.

“Scotty and Benji,” Amy offered. Flora rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.

“Doesn’t matter, they’re both dead men anyway,” she said in a bored voice. When they got picked up and taken in, I knew my daughter had failed, so, I sent some men after her to kill her–”

“Are you serious?” Jax interjected. “She’s your daughter.”

I looked at Amy, who was frowning and looking at the floor. Flora just shrugged boredly and waved her hand again. Jax let out a grunt when he was kicked in the back of the knees by one of the men behind us. Jax fell to his knees and I heard a crunch as they hit the concrete floor.

I was soon to follow and winced as I felt my kneecaps crack on the ground as well. Then our hands were pulled behind us and bound at the small of our backs.

“That was very rude to interrupt,” Flora said. Jax rolled his eyes.

“You’re a psychopath,” he muttered. Flora just shrugged.

“Tomato, tomahto.”

I glared at the woman.

“Where was I?” she asked me. I rolled my eyes.

“Organizing your daughter’s assassination.” My voice was hard.

Flora smiled, showing off her teeth before nodding her head happily.

“Ah, yes,” she said. “Well, she was of no use to me if her runners were obvious because it meant that she’d blow open my entire operation here. And I couldn’t have her running her mouth to the authorities either…

“But, my Amy is clever, something she gets from me. She came up with the brilliant plan to get one of them killed and plead innocent and get into your flimsy protection system to take it down from the inside as a way to win back my favor,” Flora sighed happily, obviously proud. “The other one had nowhere to go, and thought that as I was his boss, I was somehow trustworthy.

“He sought out my protection, which I courteously granted him. Then I had Bailey here, shoot him up with enough pure Heroin to take down a blue whale in order to make him overdose, which I’ve been assured he has.”

I winced as she spoke about Scotty. I couldn’t be sure she was telling the truth about him overdosing, because the last I’d seen him he was heading to hospital for treatment, then I’d come down here.

She could have got to him in the time I’d been away.

“And now,” Flora clapped her hands together with glee. “My Amy has done a wonderful job of luring you and your comrades down here to the motherland, proving she has worth after all. Well done my precious girl,” she said, turning to her daughter. Amy was scowling as her mother pinched her cheeks. Her eyes were shining and I would have bet my entire life savings that this was the first she’d heard of Scotty’s fate.

It seemed her mother didn’t know of their close relationship.

“So, you’re all out of bounds from your superiors, and I’m afraid, we’ve also come to the end of the story,” Flora smiled sympathetically at Jax and I. “So, you’re free for me to either imprison or kill. My choice it seems, and as I really don’t have any use for a terrible detective and a worthless motorcycle enthusiast, well…

_“Who’d like to go first?”_

_._

**Sorry for the info-dump. Had to get it all out somehow.**


	47. 44

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR**

**Everly**

_“Who’d like to go first?”_

I scowled at the woman as she stared me down with an evil grin.

We were fucked.

I winced as I felt the muzzle of a gun pressed into the back of my scull. Where the fuck was Nagata?! I tried to keep my breathing even as Flora waited for an answer. Someone kicked me in the back and I let out a cry as my face planted into the ground.

I had no way to brace my fall as my hands were tied behind me. My nose screamed in pain as I felt it break and blood start dribbling down to my lips. Jax was quick to follow me and he let out a grunt of pain as his shoulder broke his fall.

I couldn’t see anything, and someone put their foot on my back to stop me from rolling over.

“Now, really,” Flora said, clicking her tongue, “I expected more from you, Detective. But, I’ll take an easy kill over a difficult one any day.” I winced as I tried to move and was met with my captors steel tipped boot digging in between my shoulder blades.

I grunted in frustration.

“Just do it then, bitch,” I managed to gasp out. I heard her laugh and I could picture her shaking her head.

“So eager,” Flora said. I could hear her coming closer to me, her footsteps echoing on the concrete. I moved my head so that I was resting on my china and watched as she knelt down.

She grabbed a hank of the hair at the base of my neck and pulled me up. I winced at the pain but didn’t make any noise. She looked me square in the eyes as I glared daggers at her.

The warm blood from my broken nose was preventing me from breathing through my mouth.

“I guess we have our first volunteer then,” she said. I narrowed my eyes at her before I decided to do the stupidest thing I’d ever done. I spat in her face and watched as my blood splattered across her cheek.

Her eyes hardened in a flit of rage and she swore before backhanding me across the face and dropping me. I had time to turn my cheek this time before my face slammed into the ground again.

“You insolent little whore!” She screeched.

I heard Jax chuckling from beside me before he grunted when his guard dug their boot into his back as well. I rolled my eyes.

“Finish them and get them out of my sight!” Flora said angrily. “I’ve had enough of this shit.” My eyes widened as I heard the cocking of two guns before it was pressed into my skull again. My lips opened to protest, but before I could say anything, I heard a ear-splitting noise behind me.

I cowered into the ground, writhing with the need to cover my ears from the splitting high-pitch that was currently making them bleed. I felt the vibrations in the floor as men around me fell to their knees in pain, clutching their heads.

“I’m gonna assume that you’re the bad guy,” said a voice behind me when the noise stopped. Without someone holding me down anymore, I managed to roll over and flip myself up onto my feet.

I thanked the mandatory physical exercises from my academy training that allowed me to be so limber. My eyes landed on Nagata, Lucas, Gage, Cora, Imogen and Mikey. They all pulled plugs from their ears with triumphant grins.

Lucas was lowering some kind of device, I was assuming whatever had made that terrible sound. Whatever it was, it was effective.

“If so,” Lucas said. “I should probably inform you that all of your men outside are either dead, or unarmed and tied up by _my_ men.” His voice was entitled and smug. I looked back at Flora and her guards.

For some reason, Flora was standing, unaffected. Amy was on the ground, clutching at her ears. Flora eyed Lucas and our reinforcements with disdain.

“Amy! Get up off the floor, have some decorum,” Flora snarled, not taking her eyes off our group. They walked up towards Jax and I, kicking our guards out of the way. I felt someone’s hands on mine, untying me. I quickly darted down and picked up my two guns.

Amy had tears streaming down her face as she shakily rose from the floor. Her arms twitched as she walked over to one of the windows. She looked down at the yards below and scowled.

“They’re telling the truth, mother,” she winced, her voice and stance becoming submissive. Flora narrowed her eyes at Lucas.

She sighed. “Why do I always end up having to do this shit myself?”

Our group raised our weapons as Flora drew a gun from behind her. I held my breath as I waited for her to aim at one of us. My eyes narrowed and my brows came together in the middle of my forehead, confused as I watched her fire two shots into the ceiling.

The room was quiet for a moment before I heard Jax speak. Really? I mean he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut for once?

“You missed,” he grated with the roll of his eyes. Flora ignored him. I eyed the two bullet holes in the ceiling trying to figure out her angle.

Scotty had said that half her business was in explosives. What if the place was wired?

_No_ , I tried to convince myself. _She wouldn’t blow it up if she was still in the building. She wasn’t the martyr type._

My ears pricked as I heard a thunder of footsteps suddenly sound behind out group.

“It seems you’re still outnumbered,” Flora said as the room filled with more of her armed guards. For some reason, the ones who’d fallen victim to Lucas’ sound machine were all unconscious on the ground with blood coming out of their ears.

_Why hadn’t that happened to Jax or I? Or Amy for that matter? And why hadn’t it affected Flora at all?_

“Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I have business to get to,” Flora said. “If you’d all just surrender now, it would make all of this so much easier. Painless even…”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, not happening,” Lucas said, taking a step forward with his gun raised. The new guards in the room suddenly fanned out and surrounded us, and then I heard them start firing. I ducked, crouching down and using one of the unconscious bodies as my shield.

I was wearing Kevlar, but I had nothing protecting my head as bullets rained down on our group.

I had to say though, we were holding our own. I grabbed the helmet off the guard covering me and shoved it on. It would have to do. Then I raised my arms and began unleashing hell.

My fingers were like whips on the triggers of my guns as I ran forward. This bitch was _not_ getting away from me this time. She had too much damage.

Flora’s eyes widened and she raised her gun, firing at my head. I ducked out the way and prayed that it didn’t hit anyone important behind me. My legs and lungs burned as I pushed one foot in front of the other, trying to get to Flora.

She let another bullet fly, and before it could hit me, I watched someone dart in front of me and grunt as the bullet lodged into their midsection. My eyes widened as I recognised their brown hair and my mouth opened in a shocked scream.

His body thudded to the floor before I could catch him, despite my outreached arms. I felt two bodies run past me – Jax and Nagata – going after Flora. I watched her try to escape out of that door behind her.

Amy jumped out of nowhere holding two knives as she went after Jax. But I couldn’t focus on them. I fell to my knees and tried to turn over the body at my feet. Mikey’s eyes looked up dully at mine as I managed to get him on his back.

My eyes widened as I thought he was dead, but then I realised he was releasing slow haggard breaths.

“You stupid shit!” I yelled. “I’m wearing a fucking vest, she wouldn’t have hit me!”

Mikey didn’t answer. I placed my hand on his bloody midsection and frowned. There shouldn’t have been any blood. The force of that bullet should have made him fall, sure, but there shouldn’t have been any blood.

My eyes widened as I tried to comprehend what was happening. “Where the fuck is _your_ Kevlar!” I asked, desperately trying to stem the flow. Mikey coughed up a wad of blood, unable to answer me. His breaths were harrowing as he rolled his head to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“It’s… it’s just… just a s-scratch,” he tried, his voice weak. “ _No biggie…_ ”

I glared at my ex-boyfriend. “The pool of blood on the floor begs to differ, you idiot,” I griped. I tried to look around the room for someone who could help me right now. Jax was still dodging blows from Amy’s knife.

I watched him take his opening as he tackled her to the ground before I heard her let out a surprised yelp. When Jax rolled off her, the girl had fallen on her own blade. My mouth dropped in horror as I watched the life bleed from her eyes even from where I was sitting.

Jax reached for her helplessly but there was nothing he could do. I looked down, Mikey was still panting beneath me, still holding on. I winced, applying more pressure. _Maybe I could dig the slug out and he’d be okay_ , I tried to convince myself.

I looked up again, watching as Nagata tackled and restrained Flora, pushing her up against a wall and twisting her gun from her grip. He tied her up and kept her down. All the others around me had managed to stave off all of Flora’s men.

Imogen ran over to me and tried to help me with Mikey. I hadn’t realised it, but there were tears falling down my cheeks as Imogen replaced my hands with her own. I was starting to hyperventilate. Mikey’s eyes were closed now and I couldn’t see his chest rising and falling with the intake of breath.

My chest constricted and I felt someone try to help me up. I heard voices talking around me, trying to speak to me but I couldn’t understand them. It was like someone had taken all their words and put them into a tornado. I felt like I was standing in the middle of it and their words were twisting and writhing all around me but I couldn’t understand them.

My vision had tunnelled to the size of a pinhole and I was focused on Imogen and Lucas trying to move Mikey’s body. We had won, but at what cost?

My chest constricted again as I realised that I’d been holding my breath. I heard Jax calling my name as black began to dot my vision before a blinding pain in my side as I fell.

And I fell.

Down, further…

And further…

Until there was nothing but darkness and a cold drop of sweat tracked its way down my back and I was reduced to nothing.

.

**...**


	48. 45

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE**

**Everly**

I stood at the foot of his hospital bed. The asshole had managed to survive an emergency flight from Mexico to Florida and was currently in the recovery ward. He hadn’t woken up yet but no one had really expected him to.

With the amount of drugs in his system along with the time they’d had him out in order to take the bullet out of his side, well, let’s just say it was better that he was unconscious and could rest.

I didn’t remember much of the flight home. I knew that Jax had come with me to take care of Mikey, but everyone else had stayed behind to place everyone in custody. Nagata had called in to his boss at the FBI and they finally listened to what we’d been trying to tell them.

I was sure I’d get a grilling from Wells when I made it back to Okeechobee, just for defying his direct order but I didn’t care. He could place me on permanent desk duty if he wanted to. I was just glad that I was finished with that case.

I couldn’t believe that that was what it had all come to, especially after this case was supposed to be cut and dry. This case was my boss’s solution to me not taking mental health leave, it was supposed to be easy.

I rolled my eyes slightly at how much we had underestimated the case originally. But, I was glad that I had shut down a major drug ring. That shit felt awesome.

I glanced back down at Mikey. We were in some swanky hospital in Miami, courtesy of the FBI. The bullet in his side had missed any major organs, so he mostly had just passed out from blood loss and fatigue, which freaked me out at the time.

After fainting, Jax and Cora were able to get me up using a shot of adrenaline. I wouldn’t recommend doing that by the way, its super not good for your internal system. I was on edge the whole flight home and Jax had to keep his hand on my knee to keep me from jumping out of my plane seat every two minutes.

Speaking of, I had no idea where Jax had gotten to. We hadn’t really had the chance to speak about any of what happened, and how Amy had died – which I was still trying to wrap my head around. Like, good job, Shimura. You went to Mexico to save the girl and instead watched her impale herself.

I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. Jax had been unusually silent on our way back into America and I could’ve bet that it was because he was consumed with the image of Amy’s life leaving her eyes.

That shit was harrowing, especially when I’d still been holding onto a hope that we could convince the girl to reject her mother. She was, after all, only a kid. Her mother was toxic, and I was glad she was in custody now.

She’d be locked up for a long time. I’d received a text from Nagata that she was still counted as an American citizen, so, at least we could imprison her here to keep an eye on her.

My train of thought was interrupted as I heard a crashing behind me and someone stumbling through the doors. My head whipped around and landed on the lanky figure of my friend – well, ex-friend.

I glared at Tyler as he straightened himself up and pushed his glasses up his nose. He was still the clumsy idiot I’d known before, and so it was only typical that he’d practically tripped through the door in his haste to get here.

He stared at me sheepishly before his eyes flicked to his boyfriend.

“Please, tell me he’s okay?” Tyler asked, walking closer to Mikey and laying a hand over his. He had needles and wires sticking into him everywhere, but he was physically okay.

I glared at Mikey, at the place where their hands were joined. Their betrayal was still fresh in my mind, but now those feelings were conflicted because of everything Mikey had done.

“Your boyfriend is an asshole,” I said. Tyler frowned and I shook my head, crossing my arms. “But, he saved my life… or – at least, that was his intention. He didn’t realize I was wearing a vest and jumped in front of me when I got shot at.”

Tyler bit his lip as he listened to my words.

“He’s a lucky bastard,” I said. “It missed everything important and they got the slug out before he could lose too much blood. He’ll have a scar but he’ll be fine.”

Tyler had tears shining in his eyes by the time I’d finished explaining. He stroked at Mikey’s hand softly and nodded. I set my lips into a hard line and nodded once before uncrossing my arms.

I needed to leave. I couldn’t be in here with them. It was too much.

I made my way to the door, but before I could get out, Tyler spoke up.

“Everly, you have no idea how sorry I am about everything that happened with us,” he said, making me stop short. I turned to face him. My muscles felt tense as the air between us became awkward. I crossed my arms and shifted my weight from foot to foot.

“I know that you could never forgive me for what I did – and I don’t expect you to,” he continued, “But, I just need you to know that I feel sick to my stomach about it all.”

I shook my head. “It’s… whatever,” I mumbled. All I wanted was to get out of this conversation. I wasn’t equipped to handle it.

“No, it’s not,” Tyler said, his voice hard. “What we did – what _I_ did – was completely shit and I deserve all the hatred you’re sending my way.”

I sighed. “It’s fine. You did what you felt was right at the time…”

Tyler shook his head and sent a glance back to his boyfriend. “Mikey feels bad too. I know he can’t say it right now, because he’s sedated, but he went to Mexico to make it up to you.”

“Yeah, I figured,” I nodded. “People generally don’t just volunteer to take bullets for their exes. In fact, I think most people wouldn’t even care if their ex got shot.”

Tyler winced at my tone. “Well… Thankyou for bringing him back in one piece,” he said meekly. I nodded, turning back towards the door.

“I should go. Thanks for the apology, I hope you guys are happy and that we can all move on,” I said. I was surprised to find out that deep down I actually meant it. Tyler eyes shone again and his lip trembled, before his eyes flicked to something beside me.

“I see you have, at least,” he offered. I frowned and turned my eyes to see Jax through the window, waiting patiently for me outside. He was playing on his phone and holding a bag of takeaway in the other hand. I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips and the stutter in my heart.

“Guess so,” I said.

Tyler nodded. “Does he make you happy?”

I sighed, crossing my arms again. “He does.”

Tyler offered me a small smile. “Then that’s all that matters,” he said. “You know, I don’t think he ever stopped loving you.”

I frowned at him, raising an eyebrow. Tyler chuckled slightly.

“He punched Michael in the face when he saw us together but he didn’t tell you,” Tyler continued. “He wanted Mikey to be a man and tell you himself. I’m sorry we even put you in that position in the first place, but I hope he’s good to you at least.”

I nodded with a small smile, looking down at my feet. “He is,” I mumbled.

“He really does love you, you know. I know you used to tell me how much you hated him for everything before, but, from what I’ve seen, he’s different from that kid in highschool,” Tyler offered. “Give him a solid chance and don’t fuck it up, yeah?”

My mouth dropped as I saw a hint of my old friendship in the way that he spoke to me. I couldn’t believe I was getting a pep talk from the guy who my boyfriend cheated on me with. I closed my mouth, eyes wide.

“I know he does,” I said. “I never really stopped loving him either…”

Tyler nodded knowingly and I rolled my eyes at him.

“I mean, I guess it’s why me and Mikey never really worked out,” I said, looking over at the unconscious man in question. “I guess I kind of always knew that he wasn’t in our relationship one hundred percent, and neither was I, so I guess now it makes sense to me that he went to you for something more.

“I could never really give him me full heart because Jax always still owned a piece, you know?”

Tyler nodded.

I nodded too. The awkward tension between us seemed to dissipate a little. “I’m glad you two have each other,” I said and I actually meant it. “I know you’re both good people, despite how you went about it.”

Tyler nodded, smiling sadly as he looked whistfully at his boyfriend. “Thankyou. I know nothing I can say would ever make up for it…”

I nodded. “No, it probably won’t.”

“Would free ice cream for life help?” He joked to break the tension. It worked. I grinned and let out a small chuckle.

“It’s a start,” I said. Despite everything still happening between us, I was glad that I saw a hope for our friendship. Tyler smiled at my admission, knowing that it was as close that he’d get to a blessing from me. I watched a tear fall from his eye as he wore a desperate smile.

I took two steps forward and wrapped his lanky body into a hug. It was awkward and only lasted for a few seconds but I was okay with that. When I pulled away, Tyler gave me one last thankful smile and then I walked from the room, shutting the door softly behind me.

Jax looked at me when I walked out. I knew he’d seen my exchange with Tyler.

He set his lips into a hard line, but his eyes were understanding. “You forgave them,” he guessed. I gave a small sigh, shrugging as I nodded.

“I will, eventually,” I said, walking closer and wrapping my arms around him. I hadn’t done it since Mexico and right now, his embrace was what I needed. “Besides, if they hadn’t done what they did, then I never would have come running to you,” I mumbled into his shirt. “So maybe, I should be the one thanking _them_ …”

Jax chuckled as his arms squeezed me.

“Trust me, babe. If he hadn’t cheated, I would’ve found a way to tempt you into my bed.”

I rolled my eyes, punching him lightly in the stomach. “You’re a pig.”

He laughed, shrugging. “Come on,” he said, kissing the top of my head before pulling away from me and holding up his bag. “I bought comfort food.”

I narrowed my eyes at the bag. “What is it?”

Jax grinned. “Your favorite,” he said, then frowned slightly. “At least, I hope it’s still your favorite. It was in high school…”

I grinned. “Two-minute ramen?”

Jax smiled and pulled me in for another kiss. “I love you,” he said into my lips. I smiled, basking in the feeling that his sweet nothings gave me. Then we walked out of the hospital, arm in arm before we got on the back of his bike.

_Then we rode off into the sunset…_

I’m kidding. This isn’t a Disney movie. We just rode off to some park where we sat on a random bench and ate our ramen. It was perfectly imperfect and I loved it. I loved being this simple with Jax and I cursed myself for having made our relationship so complicated thus far.

As I watched him struggle with his chopsticks before finally giving in and just using a fork, I smiled to myself. The image made me realize just how much I loved this crazy man, and I wasn’t giving him up.

.

**Wrote this chapter with Gabbie Hanna’s EP blasting on repeat. Go check out 2WAYMIRROR if you haven’t bc that ish is a journey.**

**We’ve only got the epilogue left so I hope you’ve all enjoyed this book :) It’s been a pleasure to write.**


	49. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

**1 Month Later**

**Everly**

“For their strength and resilience in the Ventura Cartel case, the State of Florida would like to award the following officers for their dedication and hard work in shutting down the drug trade of rural Florida.”

I stood proudly at attention beside Nagata, Imogen and Mikey at the altar of the Bureau. I’d never been here before.

We were in their ceremony hall about to be given medals of service for our huge drug bust.

“Senior Special Agent Kieran Nagata of the FBI’s Miami sector,” the Director of the Bureau said grudgingly. Nagata moved from his place to stand beside his boss. “For your display of leadership and your commitment to this case, the State would like to honor you with this medal of valor.”

“Thankyou, sir,” Nagata said, lowering his head so that the assistant could place the medal around his neck. The director nodded before looking down at his lectern again.

“Officer Michael Andersen of Okeechobee, for your commitment to this case and your willing sacrifice in order to save another officer, the State would like to honor you with this medal of valor,” the Director continued. I watched Mikey step forward to receive his medal. He was walking with a cane for a few more weeks while his midsection fully healed.

I looked out over the crowd. I didn’t know any of the people here, because it was mostly just agents within the FBI. Wells was here, as was Chief Miller from my Lorida precinct. My eyes roamed the group until they landed on one face in particular.

He was standing at the back of the room with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk dancing about his lips. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as a small smile hinted at my lips. I tried to focus on the ceremony happening, and less on Jax.

“Detective Imogen Leeds of Okeechobee,” the Director said. “For your ingenuity and dedication to this case, as well as your commitment to this bust and arrest of Flora Ventura. For the concise nature in which you handled the possession of all illicit substances, the State would like to present you with this medal of valor.”

I smiled at my friend as I watched her walk forward and shake hands with the Director.

“And lastly, Detective Everly Shimura of Lorida,” the Director said. I made sure to stand up a little straighter as I realized that every eye in the room was now on me. “For the way that you followed every odd and end of this case, as well as your commitment to finding statements from those in Witness Protection.

“For your dedication in chasing down Flora Ventura, despite your lack of state resources, and for your devotion in assisting injured officers after the bust and capture of Florida’s biggest drug supplier, the State would like to honor you with this medal of valor.”

A huge round of applause erupted as I made my way to the Director to accept my award. The belt of the medal had an array of blue, green, red, and white stripes. The medal itself was not dissimilar to the badge of a county sheriff – a five-pointed star inside a circle. It was heavy, but a smile split my lips when it was placed around my neck.

“Congratulations,” the Director said to me as he shook my hand. I nodded.

“I couldn’t have done it alone, sir,” I said truthfully. Because I honestly couldn’t have. The real people to thank weren’t even really allowed inside this building. I didn’t know how Jax had snuck inside but I was glad that he did.

My eyes flicked over to him and he gave me a huge, exaggerated thumbs up with a sarcastic grin. I rolled my eyes at him as I made my way back to my post. The Director concluded the ceremony with a speech before a band played some song. I wasn’t really paying attention; I was too busy thinking about the club, and how they were the real unsung heroes here.

Without them, we never would have even made it through the gate. They’d been an indispensable force that I couldn’t have felt more grateful for. The group in front of me stood up and they began making their way from the room. Everyone was supposed to go to some celebratory luncheon that the Bureau was holding. I stayed where I was as I saw Jax making his way through the crowd.

He picked me up and swung me around when he got close enough. I giggled before he set me down and I pulled his face down to kiss him. His arms squeezed my waist and I smiled into our kiss.

When we pulled away, he pressed his forehead against mine and I smiled.

“I’m so damn proud of you, Evie,” he said, his voice low so that only I could hear him. I felt a warm flush spread to my cheeks as I let his words wash over me.

I shook my head. “I couldn’t have done any of it without you guys, you know that right?” I said. “I’m gonna find some way to pay you all back.”

Jax chuckled and kissed my forehead. “That isn’t necessary babe. The club knew what they were getting into and they were fine with it. It wasn’t the first time we’ve gone marching down somewhere just to appease someone’s Old Lady.”

I leaned back and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Is that what I am now?” I asked. I didn’t know if I liked that term. All I could envision was some old wrinkly hag. Jax laughed at my facial expression as my nose crinkled in slight disgust.

“It’s a term of endearment, baby. Just don’t think about it too much.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Jax chuckled at me before he stepped away. His eyes roamed the room for a moment, focusing on all the unknown faces around us. He turned back to me with a mischievous grin across his lips.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked. I grinned, sighing.

“You read my mind. We don’t know these people anyway,” I shrugged. Jax grinned before tugging on my hand and pulling me from the room successfully. I managed to catch Imogen’s eye for a moment and she grinned knowingly at me before waving me off.

I knew she had my back if anything were to happen and I wasn’t there. She’d cover for me.

Jax whipped his leg over his bike when we made it outside. I grinned before taking my medal off from around my neck and instead placing it around his.

“For safe keeping, yeah?” I laughed when he gave me an odd look. He rolled his eyes at me and I grinned. I wrapped my arms around his waist after I sat down behind him. He revved the engine and I felt the bike hum underneath us.

I couldn’t deny that the feeling was kind of turning me on because it was something that just reminded me of my hot ass boyfriend. I pressed my hardening nipples against Jax’s back and I could practically feel him smirking. I smacked him upside the head lightly and he laughed.

“I didn’t even say anything!” he protested with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes.

“You were thinking it, you perv.”

Jax laughed and nodded his head before we sped from the Bureau. We weren’t riding for long as we arrived at some fancy hotel. Jax walked us inside, ignoring the flabbergasted expression on my face, and got a room key from the receptionist. The girl behind the desk gave him an appreciative once over, which I rolled my eyes at.

Jax seemingly ignored her, which made me feel slightly better, before we then made it to the elevator. Before long, he was dragging me into some posh hotel room. I grinned as I watched him make himself comfortable.

We looked completely out of place amongst the expensive furnishings, especially since he was just in riding jeans with his cut, and I was in my ceremony uniform. We looked like we’d broken into the place, if I was being honest.

“Wow,” I said as I made my way to the large bay windows. They were overlooking the clear blue of the ocean. It was beautiful.

“I can think of something better,” Jax said, making me realize I’d spoken aloud. I rolled my eyes and turned around to face him. He was standing just behind me, grinning. He pulled me closer and I laughed.

“You’re a damn cheeseball,” I said. Jax shrugged before leaning down. His lips were soft and slow against mine, as he was taking his time. His hands were in my hair and he walked backwards until he pulled us down onto the bed.

My eyes widened when I felt how plush it was. Damn, this place was making me feel like a fancy bitch. I grinned into Jax’s kiss as he pried my lips open and kissed me harder. I moaned into him and he rolled us over so that I was underneath him.

He pulled away and I looked up at him, zoning in on his frown.

“What?” I asked.

Jax sighed. “I’m leaving the club,” he said. My eyes widened and I pushed myself up so that I could look at him properly. I put a hand on his face as a concerned frown formed in my eyes.

“ _What? Why?_ ”

Jax shrugged. “I don’t want this to end,” he said simply, running his hands down my arms and then gripping at my waist. “You dumped me last time because you thought I picked the club over you. Now, I’m just making sure that you can count on me when you need me.”

My jaw dropped.

My hand cupped his jaw and I pulled him closer to me. I pressed a kiss to his lips as my eyes closed, somewhat pained. His fingers gripped at my waist and I shook my head. I pulled away from him to look at him sternly.

“Absolutely not,” I said. “You’re not leaving the club.”

Jax rolled his eyes and looked at me. “Evie. You’re more important to me than anything. I want you for as long as I can have you, then I don’t care what I have to give up.”

I shook my head again, back and forth, over and over.

Jax stroked a hand over my jaw and his thumb swiped over my bottom lip.

“Jax, that’s not what I want,” I said. Jax frowned at me and I gripped at his hand. That probably didn’t sound how I meant it to sound. “I love you the way you are,” I clarified, “Club and all. I don’t care that you’re the VP, in fact, it’s a very attractive and defining part of who you are. I was wrong to think all those years ago that you had to choose one or the other.

“That’s not what I want. I love you despite everything that we’ve been through. I know that in the end it might be awkward and weird for people to see us together, just because you’re a biker and I’m a cop, but I don’t care anymore.

“We’ve made it this far, and I’m old enough to ignore every shitty thing I’ve ever thought about public image because in the end… well, I want you more than I care about what people think of us.”

Jax watched me carefully.

He opened his mouth in a way not unlike a stunned fish and I grinned, leaning forward to kiss him. He responded almost immediately, stroking his fingers through my hair to keep me close to him. My hair was getting long now. When I’d first come back to Okeechobee, I’d had it in a combover sort of style and now it was leaning more towards a pixie cut.

Jax didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I think he kind of liked having more length to play with. His tongue savaged mine as I showed him exactly how much he meant to me.

 _“I’m not going anywhere,”_ I whispered when we came up for air. I heard Jax sigh as he pulled me into his lap.

“I convinced Lucas to make the club legal,” he said. I looked up at him, shocked. He nodded.

“I wanted to make sure I left them in a good state before I disbanded. I let go of the drug and weapons trade into the club and Lucas is going to make them go legit, on the straight and narrow.”

I smiled, stroking his jawline. “And you’ll be seeing it through,” I said with an air of finality. Jax smiled, leaning forward to kiss me again.

“You mean it?”

I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Yes,” I said. “I want you, and that means _all_ of you.”

Jax grinned. “Has anyone told you that you’re amazing?” he asked. I rolled my eyes and he grinned.

“Not today, at least,” I chuckled, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

Jax rolled his eyes and kissed the tip of my nose.

“Alright lover boy,” I laughed. “What do you say we christen this lovely yet expensive as hell hotel room?”

Jax grinned at me. “I need something first…”

I frowned, raising my eyebrow again. I watched as he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small bronze key.

“Move in with me.”

My eyes widened and I couldn’t find any words.

Jax grinned at the fact that he’d successfully rendered me speechless. “I’m serious. Move in with me,” he said. “Quit your job in Lorida and work in Okeechobee. Move in with me; you can even bring your deranged cat…” he chuckled.

He pressed the key into my palm before looking right into my eyes. They were shining, no doubt.

“Why?” I said, my voice small and confused. Was it too early for this? Were we going too fast? Were we going to burn out? A million questions and doubts were running through my mind as I tried to grasp the situation.

“Because I want you in my bed every night and I want to wake up to your face every morning. It’s not a marriage proposal,” he clarified, “But I promise that that will come in due time. Just… move in with me, and be with me for real.”

I bit my lip before my fingers closed around the key in my palm. Jax gave me a big smile as he watched the action.

“Okay, Jay,” I said. I couldn’t deny that his sweet words – minus the comment about my cat – had touched my heart. “I’ll live with you.”

Jax grinned and pulled me in for a kiss before he fell backwards on the bed. I chuckled into it as he pulled away.

“Oh, baby, you don’t know what you’ve just done,” Jax laughed, peppering kisses all over my face. I giggled.

“I’m done with ignoring what I want,” I said. “I just want you forever and ever, Jacob Jackson, club and all.”

Jax grinned. “You wanna be my Old Lady.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Jax laughed. “I love you.”

I smiled before pecking his lips. Then I frowned and held up my new key. “Promise me we’ll actually use these, though…”

Jax rose his eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean.”

I rolled my eyes. “Exactly what I’m implying. You haven’t locked a door a day in your life.”

Jax grinned, kissing me again. “Yeah, I mean, they don’t call it easy access for nothing.”

I rolled my eyes but moved my hands down to grip his cut. I found began pushing it off his shoulders with one hand, the other making it’s way down to the button on his jeans.

“You’re disgusting, but I kind of dig it,” I said, raising my eyebrow with a smirk. “So, why don’t you let me show you just how much _I_ love _you_ …”

Jax grinned, his hands following suit and unbuckling my own slacks.

“Bring it on, doll.”

.

**Had to end it all with a _bang_ ;P**


End file.
